The conclave for the election of the new Pope entered this Thursday (8) in his second-and possibly decisive-day. In the first morning vote, the Sistine Chapel indicated that there is still no consensus among the 133 cardinal voters. The process now follows with two more rounds of voting in the afternoon.
The expectation is high, as the last two conclaves, made in 2013 and 2005, defined the new pontiff exactly on the second day of voting. Pope Benedict XVI was elected at 12:50 pm, while Pope Francis emerged on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at 2:06 pm. On both occasions, the last smoke of the day brought the announcement of the new leader of the Catholic Church.
For a cardinal to be chosen as a new Pope, the equivalent of two thirds of voters. Seven Brazilian cardinals are among the voters, who gather to closed doors in the Sistine Chapel, in a process surrounded by tradition and confidentiality.
The smoke that comes out of the chimney is the visible signal to the public: black means there was no agreement; Branca announces that the new Pope was chosen. On Wednesday (7), the first day of Conclave, the only vote also ended with black smoke, as expected.
This Thursday, the remaining two votes will be held in the afternoon. If the new Pope is chosen, he will be asked if he accepts the position and what name he wants to adopt. Then he retracts in the tears room, where he wears the papal costumes, before making his first public appearance on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.
See the schedules scheduled for this Thursday (8):
- Near 12:30 pm: Third round of voting of the day. If the Pope is defined, white smoke will come out. If not defined, nothing will happen.
- Near 14h: Fourth and last round of voting of the day. If the Pope is defined, white smoke will come out. If there is no consensus, the smoke will be black, indicating the need for more voting.
