If the Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church have not chosen a new Pope until the third day of next week’s conclave, then things will not be going as planned.
Short conclaves, closed in a few days, project an image of unity, and the last thing that red robes cardinals want is to give the impression that they are divided and that the church is drifting after Pope Francis’ death last month.
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“A maximum of three days,” Cardinal Salvadorene Gregorio Pink Chávez this week, before the secret vote, which will start at the Sistine Chapel on May 7.
The average duration of the last 10 conclaves was 3.2 days and none lasted more than five. The last two elections – in 2005 with Pope Benedict 16 and in 2013 with Francisco – were completed in just two days.
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The conclave is made in how many rounds of voting are necessary until a candidate obtains most of two thirds, triggering the white smoke that informs the world that awaits the beginning of a new papacy.
“It is evident that the more banknotes there is, the harder the process will be. But the signs are that they want to continue quickly,” said Giovanni Vian, professor of Christian history at CA University of Venice.
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Some of the 133 cardinals that are expected to enter the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday have been possible for years. Others will only stand out during the current daily meetings, known as general congregations, where cardinals discuss the future of the Church.
When Francisco died, most Vatican’s observers saw Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Filipino prelate Luis Antonio Tagle as the obvious favorites, with a multitude of other possible candidates following their trail.
Serious choices
The initial vote, the afternoon the conclave begins, usually serves as an informal resonance box in which several names are widely publicized.
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Some of these votes are symbolic, offered as gestures of respect or friendship before the beginning of the serious vote the next day, when the strength of favorites can be evaluated.
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From the second day, two votes are held in the morning and two in the afternoon. According to the Conclave regulations, if no one is chosen after the first three days, the cardinals should make a “prayer break” one day before continuing.
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Soon it is clear if there is a viable candidate or if a commitment candidate will be required.
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“If we can’t get a new Pope quickly, it will show that the impulse to favorites has run out very quickly,” Rev said. Thomas Reese, Jesuit Father and Vatican commentator.
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“This will also reinforce the fact that there are many cardinals inside and they just don’t know each other very well,” he added.
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Pope Francis appointed about 80% of cardinals voters, many of them in distant dioceses, while sought to strengthen the church in areas where he had previously limited reach.
