(LifeSiteNews) — A nervous silence descended on the city of Rome on Wednesday evening as the cardinal electors solemnly processed to the Sistine Chapel to swear their conclave oaths and cast their first ballot in the election of the new pope.
With the schola of St. Peter’s chanting the litany of the saints in the background, helping to set a somber scene, the crowds looked on quietly as each of the 133 cardinals, in descending order of seniority, individually made their public oath to dutifully carry out the office of selecting the successor of St. Peter and maintain the traditional secrecy of their votes, before being sequestered in the Sistine Chapel.
After almost two hours, the final cardinal professed his oath and the papal master of ceremonies – in what truly felt like a profound and awe-striking moment – made the solemn declaration “Extra omnes,” ordering everyone other than the cardinal electors to leave the chapel. The doors were closed behind him and sealed for the commencement of the first vote.
The silence in St. Peter’s Square slowly began to lift, as the piazza was once again filled with the hustle and bustle of pilgrims and faithful making their way in and out and chatting among themselves. The long process of voting was underway just metres from us. I, probably like many others, couldn’t help but imagine how terrifying and onerous the duty must be: sitting before Michelangelo’s fresco of The Last Judgment while assessing who among the cardinals ought to ascend the papal throne. One would hope that such circumstances would inspire the electors to keep their own judgment in mind while casting their votes.
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For three hours the cardinals deliberated and the crowds became audibly anxious. Seemingly random bursts of applause stirred the crowds in apprehension of the expected smoke signal. Between these fevered rounds a nervous stillness stole over us as we awaited the smoke, uncertain of the exact moment – or color – it might appear.
Suddenly, and curiously, at around 9 p.m., the screens showing a live feed of the chimney in St. Peter’s Square cut out, causing consternation among those keeping vigil. Moments later, the chimney billowed out black smoke. There was a palpable sense of excitement as people began dispersing from the piazza, presumably heading for a typically late Roman dinner at one of the many pizzerias surrounding the Vatican. (I was myself among that famished number.)
The long wait for the smoke felt, well, long, and it became clear that the painstaking chimney watch would define the remainder of my week in Rome. I have a feeling, however, that it will all feel very quick after the desperately sought white smoke fills the air above the Sistine Chapel.
Prior to the cardinals officially entering the conclave, a special Mass was held in St. Peter’s Basilica this morning in a ceremony titled “pro eligendo Romano pontifice,” or “for the election of the Roman pontiff.” Despite being accredited to the Holy See for the purposes of the conclave, I was unable to join the main press pool for the Mass, as space for the press corps within the basilica is very limited. With the world’s media descending on the Vatican for the conclave (and Pope Francis’ funeral earlier this month), a senior member of the Holy See Press Office told me they simply could not accommodate every journalist who applied for a space.
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After the disappointment of being turned away from the press arena, I succeeded in joining the main congregation seated in the nave of St. Peter’s and managed to nab myself a decent, central position, good for cardinal-spotting—although it would be hard to miss them entirely at an event like this!
Having arrived some 90 minutes early for Mass, I found myself with the unique opportunity of being able to pray quietly inside the basilica, largely uninterrupted, before the liturgies commenced. Normally, the church is full of faithful and tourists chatting and snapping as many pictures as they can while milling around at leisure, but today there was a respectful silence in preparation for the Mass about to begin. No tours. No disruption. Just prayer.
Immediately before Mass the congregation was led in the recitation of the Holy Rosary. To my great joy – and surprise – the rosary was prayed in Latin. Saying the prayers of the Rosary in Latin in a packed St. Peter’s Basilica ahead of such a monumental moment in the history of the Church was a profound experience: the universality of the Catholic Church, uniting in the language of the Church in prayer for the election of its new visible head – the visible sign of unity – seemed to me a moment of healing from the divisions and disputes which have marked Catholic discourse under the late pontiff. It brought to mind Jesus’ prayer to the Father that all might be one.
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