The Conclain meets for the election of the new one. From the morning, 133 Cardinal Electors are located in St. Peter’s Basilica, where Pro Eligendo Pontifice performs, in favor of the election of the new Pontiff.
All the cardinals co -operate and the oldest of them, Giovanni Batista, is co -operated. In the afternoon, at 17:20 Greek time, the total of the cardinals under 80 years of age, who participate in the Conclain process, went from the Paolina chapel to the Sistine Hat, where the gates closed after about ten minutes and the first vote began.
The cardinals will ask the Holy Spirit to help them in their work and also have the right to ask questions about the details of the whole process.
The meetings will be headed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who is also considered the main “favorite” for Francis’ succession, while around 20.00 hours of Greece, the first smoke from the SIXTINA hat stove is expected to come out.
Following the “invocation to the saints of the West and the East”, the 133 Cardinal Electors entered the Sistine Hat, where the process of Conclava began. The cardinals, after sworn in the Vatican Constitution and the Gospel, asked the Holy Spirit to inspire their action. As soon as the well -known “Extra Omnes” formula was heard, that is, “outside everyone”, the gates were closed.
This is the conception with the largest participation of electors. In which, as always, the official language is Latin. Rightly, it can be described as “the conceinence of globalization”: 53 Cardinals come from Europe, 37 from North and South America, 23 from Asia, 18 from Africa and 4 from Oceania. Two could not be in Rome for health reasons. So far, however, he has never been elected a new Pontiff in the first vote. The election of Francis’ successor is considered more likely, from tomorrow at noon and beyond, after the third vote.
At this time, according to the ritual, the Cardinals are elected by the members of the “Electoral Committee”, of key importance to the whole process.
Along with the ballots, finally, all the notes that the various electors can take, according to the principle of compulsory, absolute secrecy.
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Diversity or unity?
Pope Francis redefined the mission of the Church with the focus of the poor and the marginalized, emphasizing the inclusion, compassion and the least dogmatic approach to social issues. However, the most conservative cardinals interpret his term as a source of confusion as they believe he has introduced room for maneuvering on sensitive cultural issues, such as the teachings of the Church about marriage and homosexuality.
It is indicative that the conservative wing of the church, before Franciscan was buried last weekend, had already begun to push for a return to “unity” – the word that is the slogan of conservative cardinals and which, as the New York Times explains, to overthrow his work.
The cardinal Michael Cherni From Canada, one of Francis’ closest advisers, speaking to the US newspaper was categorical: ‘It sounds very good but it means reversal’.
many of whom were appointed by its predecessor, Benedict Es, section means a “new introversion” with the promise ‘Unity that solves all our problems’ He explained, adding that for him the keyword must be “diversity”. At the same wavelength and the lonely Antonio SpandroDeputy Minister of Culture and Education of the Vatican, commented: “Francis maintained a subtle balance between unity and diversity. The new Pope must keep both ».
For example, when Franciscan made a significant change by allowing the priestly blessings for homosexual couples, it was applauded by the liberals in Europe and North America. But a huge expression of disagreement by the leaders of the Church in Africa, Epirus, where many consider the future of Roman Catholicism.
For the sake of unity, Oh, recognizing cultural sensitivities. This decision, according to Spandaros, was “more revolutionary” than the measure itself, “Because it was legalizing a pastoral multiplicity”. It was Francis’ way, he explained, to recognize cultural diversity and differences in a united church. The South Korean Cardinal Lazarus Yu Howng-Sikh said that “Unity means, for me, opening the heart. Francis taught me that I have to open my heart to love others ».
Conclavic questions
One of the main questions expected to be answered by the Conclave is whether the conservative wing, which includes cardinals mainly from Africa, Eastern Europe and part of the US, has plenty of votes to turn the pendulum back to the dogmatic papal hegemonies of St.
Although 108 of them a little bit, it is not certain that all of them will support candidates who embrace his vision. Many of them, especially those who have been recently appointed, are lacking experience and are less familiar with the Vatican dynamics, so, according to some estimates, they may be seduced by simplistic slogans of “unity”.
At the same time, there are practical issues that will be borne by the decision: the age of the candidate, his geographical origin, his ability to manage the bureaucracy of the Holy See. A younger Pope can form the Church for the coming decades, but it may find it difficult to balance the opposing currents strengthened by his predecessor’s term.
