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 Conclusion Of The Restoration Work On The Sistine Chapel (25th Anniversary) Scott 1719 (2019) On Monday, April 28, the College of Cardinals announced that the conclave to elect the successor to Pope Francis will convene on Wednesday, May 7. The date is within the traditional 15-20 day window following a pope’s death and falls after the conclusion of the nine-day “novendiales” mourning period. As of Monday, most of the 134 cardinals who will take part in the Conclave (voting members include those cardinals under 80 years of age) have already arrived in Rome, with the remaining due to arrive prior to the May 7 start date. The convening of the Conclave falls after the conclusion of events following the death of Pope Francis (including his funeral and burial on Saturday, April 26), and after a series of General Congregation meetings to plan for the Conclave. The cardinals will celebrate a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on the morning of May 7, and then will proceed to the Sistine Chapel. Upon entry, each cardinal will take an oath to observe the prescribed procedures of the Conclave. The doors to the Sistine Chapel will then be closed to the outside world until a new pope is chosen. The Sistine Chapel was first used as the site of the Conclave in 1492, and has been used for that purpose continuously since 1878. Here is a drawing of the conclave from 1903, following the death of Pope Leo XIII, which elected Pope Pius X:  Voting During the 1903 Conclave Author Unknown From Wikimedia Commons In the Public Domain Starting next Wednesday, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside over the Conclave. Ninety votes (a two-thirds majority plus one) is required to elect the new pope. It is worth noting that a large majority of the cardinal electors were appointed by Pope Francis: 108, or almost 81%. His active reshaping of the College and the transformation of its geographic makeup (to include representatives from countries and regions previously underrepresented at the Conclave) may impact the results of the upcoming election as the Church prepares to elect its 267th pope. REFERENCES: |
