133 Cardinals Move into Vatican Residence…Tension and Tight Security in the Vatican
A Crossroads Between Continuing Francis’s Legacy vs. Returning to Tradition
On the 6th, a day before the conclave opens, seats have been arranged in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, the location of the event. According to Getty Images, the conclave, a secret meeting of cardinals that elects the leader of 1.4 billion Catholics, will begin on May 7 (local time) at the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel.
Voting rights are granted to cardinals under the age of 80 as of the day before the papal seat, ‘sede’, becomes vacant. A total of 133 cardinals from 70 countries across five continents will participate in this conclave. Originally, there were 135 eligible voters, but Cardinal John Njue of Kenya and Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera of Spain will not participate due to health reasons.
Held 12 years after the election of Pope Francis in 2013, this conclave is seen as a pivotal moment for deciding the direction the Catholic Church will take amidst global crises like war, climate change, immigration, and the rise of far-right politics.
One day before the conclave on May 6, the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican is busy preparing for the event. As the voting continues under tight security until a candidate receives at least two-thirds majority (a minimum of 89 votes) from the cardinal electors, the first vote will be held at 4:30 p.m. on the first day. Afterward, voting will occur twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon each day, allowing for up to four votes daily.
The results of the vote can be discerned through the color of the smoke emitted from the chimney installed on the roof of the Sistine Chapel. Black smoke indicates that no candidate received enough votes, while white smoke signifies the election of a new pope. Once a new pope is chosen, the Dean of the College of Cardinals will ask the elected if they accept the position and what papal name they will choose.
Following this, the Senior Cardinal Deacon will appear on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and announce “Habemus Papam” (We have a pope) to the world, indicating the election of a new pope.
The new pope will make their first appearance before the public and impart the first apostolic blessing, “Urbi et Orbi,” meaning “to the city [of Rome] and the world” in Latin.
Cardinals must pledge to keep all that occurs in the conclave permanently secret. They must leave their personal cell phones outside and cut off all communications with the outside world, including phone, internet, and newspapers. Support staff such as elevator operators, doctors, drivers, chefs, and laundry staff have also pledged to uphold confidentiality.
The Vatican will disable mobile phone signal systems within its territory starting 90 minutes before the conclave’s first vote to maintain security. A thorough sweep for eavesdropping and recording devices has been conducted at the Sistine Chapel. To prevent any drone or satellite footage, all the windows of the chapel have been covered with opaque film.
A solemn atmosphere permeates the Sistine Chapel’s nave the day before the conclave begins. The 133 cardinal electors arrived in Rome two days prior and moved into their Vatican accommodations the day before. Most are staying at the Santa Marta residence, where Pope Francis stayed during his 12-year tenure, while a few are assigned to the Saint Martha Vechia, a department for Vatican staff, due to room shortages.
During the conclave, the cardinal electors will commute by bus to the Sistine Chapel to participate in the papal election. The 133 cardinal electors participating in this conclave represent the largest and most diverse group in history. Nearly 80% were appointed by Pope Francis himself, suggesting that he has strategically positioned successors to carry on his reformist agenda.
However, experts caution against assuming that all those appointed by Pope Francis are reform-leaning, noting that conservative cardinals view this conclave as an opportunity to restore the church’s traditional values. Over the past two weeks, cardinals from around the world have been meeting almost daily, discussing the challenges facing the Catholic Church and the qualities needed in a new pope.
During these meetings, cardinals share their vision and ideal papal characteristics through ‘three-minute speeches’. In this context where there are no official candidate registrations or election campaigning, these speeches are said to significantly influence voting intentions. It is reported that despite not being a leading candidate in the 2013 conclave, Pope Francis captivated the attention of the College of Cardinals with a moving three-minute speech, leading to a surprising turn of events.