Rome Conclave for the election of a new Pope St. Peter’s Basilica Holy Mass Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice
(Vatican City, Italy) — 133 cardinals are set to take a first vote today as they choose the next leader of the Catholic church. Once the conclave begins the cardinals will remain behind closed doors in the Sistine chapel until a candidate for pope receives a two-thirds majority vote. After each vote, cardinals will burn the ballots and send up black smoke from a chimney. But when the new pope is finally chosen, they will release white smoke. Votes have been pretty quick in recent decades.
Experts don’t think American cardinals, including New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan have much of a shot at becoming the next pope. Father Thomas Massaro at Fordham University says history shows that cardinals from major world powers traditionally don’t get chosen.
Massaro says the cardinals making up the conclave have been spending time together since Pope Francis’ funeral getting to know each other. Massaro’s prediction is the next pope will not be chosen today, the first day of the conclave with recent history showing it usually takes two to four days to get two thirds majority vote.
