Cardinals enter Sistine Chapel to start centuries-old secret ritual to elect a pope

VATICAN CITY: With all pomp, drama and solemnity that the Catholic Church can muster, 133 cardinals Wednesday began the secretive, centuries-old ritual to elect a successor to Pope Francis, opening the most geographically diverse conclave in the faith’s 2,000-year history.Two by two, the cardinals entered Sistine Chapel chanting “Litany of the Saints” as Swiss Guards stood at attention. The hymn implores the saints to help the cardinals find a new leader of the 1.4 billionstrong Catholic Church. They bowed before the altar and took their places before taking an oath of secrecy and shutting Sistine Chapel doors to start the conclave. Earlier, the dean of the College of Cardinals, cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, presided over a morning mass urging voters to set aside all personal interests and find a pope who prizes unity.

The world today needs a leader who can awaken consciences, he said.Hailing from 70 countries, the cardinals have been sequestered from the outside world until they find a new leader. Francis named 108 of the 133 “princes of the church”, choosing many pastors from farflung countries that had never had a cardinal before. His decision to surpass the usual limit of 120 cardinal electors and include younger ones from the “global south” — often marginalised countries with lower economic clout — has injected an unusual degree of uncertainty in a process that is full of suspense, with smoke signals telling the world if a pope has been elected or not.

Many cardinals hadn’t met one another until last week and lamented they needed more time to get to know each another, raising questions about how long it might take for one man to secure the two-thirds majority needed to become the 267th pope. While cardinals are supposed to resist any “secular” influences in their choice, such lobbying abounded in Rome in recent days .Many challenges face the new pope and weigh on the cardinals — above all whether to continue Francis’ progressive legacy on several issues or roll it back to try to unify a polarised church. Since Francis chose 80% of the voters, continuity is likely, but the form it might take is uncertain.