Cardinals deliberate in two sessions: Will an important decision be made today?

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Preparations for the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis, which begins on Wednesday, are in full swing.
Cardinals deliberate in two sessions: Will an important decision be made today?
Two general congregations of cardinals are planned for today, Monday, to prepare for the conclave – one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Until now, the cardinals have only met once a day. Two meetings are planned for Monday, which insiders see as a signal that the purple bearers consider further talks on the profile of Pope Francis’ successor necessary.

Final preparations for the conclave are being made in the Vatican
The final preparations for the conclave to elect the next pope were made at the Vatican on Monday. The staff supporting the cardinals during the conclave are sworn to secrecy on Monday afternoon. Among others, the doctors, the table service, and the cleaning staff participate in the ceremony. According to the Vatican, anyone who does not comply with the oath of secrecy faces excommunication.

The conclave becomes a major media event. The Vatican television station CTV has positioned TV cameras on the roof of the Sistine and Paolinian Chapels and St. Peter’s Basilica. The Vatican has accredited media representatives worldwide, and media in two dozen languages are registered.

On Wednesday morning, the cardinals will move to the Santa Marta guest house, where they will stay during the conclave. The electoral assembly begins on Wednesday afternoon. A special mass for a good papal election (“Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice”) is scheduled at 10 am before the 133 electors enter the Sistine Chapel at around 4:30 pm. The papal electors will vote behind closed doors during the conclave in the Sistine Chapel.

Nine-day mourning period for Francis comes to an end
A final funeral mass for Pope Francis was celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica on Sunday afternoon. The service marked the end of the nine-day mourning period for the deceased pontiff in the Vatican. French Cardinal Dominique Mamberti paid tribute to Francis’ “intense pastoral life” in his homily.

Pope Francis died on Easter Monday at the age of 88, after attending the Easter Mass in the Vatican the day before and giving the blessing “Urbi et Orbi.” The following Saturday, Francis was buried in the presence of heads of state and government worldwide. The traditional mourning period known as the “Novendiale” began today.

One hundred thirty-three cardinal electors attend the conclave in the Sistine Chapel. Once a new pope has been elected, white smoke rises and St. Peter’s Basilica bells ring out. Mamberti, in his capacity as Cardinal Protodeacon, will then proclaim from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, “Habemus Papam” (“We have a Pope”). The new Pope then steps onto the balcony and, for the first time, pronounces the blessing “Urbi et Orbi” (“To the city and the world”).

The new pope must be “a shepherd and a credible person and Christian, regardless of his geographical origin,” emphasized Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Archbishop Emeritus of Vienna, in an interview with APA in Rome on Sunday. “It is important that the new pope is attentive to people’s needs and joys and deeply loves God and people. People can sense whether he speaks empty words or lives the faith,” said the cardinal, who will participate in the general congregations on Monday. Schönborn, who is already 80, will not participate in the conclave due to his age.