c. 2005 Religion News Service
VATICAN CITY _ Amid secrecy, religious pomp and a degree of uncertainty, 115 Roman Catholic cardinals will sequester themselves with Michelangelo’s historic biblical art in the Sistine Chapel on Monday to begin the process of selecting a successor to Pope John Paul II.
The cardinals _ one of whom will almost certainly be the next leader of the world’s 1.1 billion Catholics _ are expected to cast one ballot Monday afternoon. If, as expected, no one receives a two-thirds majority, the cardinals will retire to St. Martha’s House, a secluded residence on Vatican grounds, and return Tuesday to begin a more rapid voting schedule: two ballots in the morning and two in the afternoon.
If a new pontiff is not selected after about 30 ballots, a simple majority is all that will be needed.
The cardinals finished moving into St. Martha’s House _ a $20 million hotel-style residence with a number of modern amenities _ and dined together Sunday night. In past conclaves, cardinals were housed in less comfortable conditions that encouraged them to select a pope quickly.
The conclave begins after days of speculation in the Italian press that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, a high-ranking Vatican prelate under John Paul II, has garnered more early support than anyone else _ perhaps 40 to 50 of the 77 votes needed for a two-thirds majority.
Yet papal elections have been famously unpredictable, with presumed front-runners often facing surprising fates, and unexpected winners. Indeed, John Paul II was a surprise choice to many when he was elected in 1978.
As has been repeated endlessly on television these past two weeks, Italians have a saying about conclaves and front-runners: “He who goes in a pope comes out a cardinal.”
And though the possibility is exceedingly remote, a non-cardinal could also be selected: By church tradition, any baptized male Roman Catholic can hold the office.
Ratzinger, a respected theologian known as a polarizing church figure while head of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, is 78. Cardinals could select him as a “caretaker pope” who would presumably serve a shorter reign than the 26 years John Paul served.
Other presumed front-runners include a slew of Italian cardinals, including Dionigi Tettamanzi, Angelo Sodano and Carlo Martini; Latin Americans Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Honduras and Claudio Hummes of Brazil; a Nigerian, Francis Arinze; and an Indian, Ivan Dias.
“Aside from Ratzinger, there’s no really slam-dunk obvious candidate in this field of 115 cardinals,” said John L. Allen, a Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter who over the years has interviewed more than half the cardinals who will vote.
“I think there’s a wide range of candidates for whom plausible arguments can made, but in almost every case, there are weaknesses or question marks,” he said.
None of the 11 voting U.S. cardinals is among the favorites.
In 1978, John Paul II, of Poland, became the first non-Italian pope in 455 years, and many Italians hope one of their own will be his successor. Catholics in other parts of the world are hoping for a pope from Latin American or Africa, where the church has grown fastest in recent decades.
Once a new pope is selected, white smoke will rise from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel. Bells will also ring to reduce the chance of confusion that gray smoke has caused after previous conclaves. Black smoke _ from burning ballots _ will appear once each morning and afternoon if no one is selected.
The rules of the conclave are strict. The cardinals are not allowed phones, television, publications or contact with the outside world. The cardinals _ along with a few clergy, doctors and others who will assist them during the conclave _ have been sworn to secrecy about the voting and the discussions surrounding it.
There have been countless security sweeps through the Sistine Chapel and other Vatican grounds for electronic bugs, and jamming devices have been installed to thwart the most sophisticated eavesdropping equipment.
The cardinals will celebrate a special Mass on Monday morning. Later, at 4:30 p.m. (10:30 a.m. EDT), they will leave the Hall of Blessings in the Apostolic Palace chanting the hymn “Veni, Creator” in a solemn procession to the Sistine Chapel that will be televised worldwide.
At the Sistine Chapel, under Michelangelo’s ceiling frescoes depicting scenes from the Book of Genesis, they will take an oath to follow the election rules set down by John Paul. Then a church official called the master of liturgical celebrations will announce “Extra omnes,” or “Everybody out,” and almost everybody not voting will leave.
After a meditation, only those cardinals under age 80 will remain, and the voting will commence.
(OPTIONAL TRIM FOLLOWS)
At St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, hundreds of locals, tourists and pilgrims lined up outside the basilica in the intermittent rain to view the grotto where John Paul was buried just over a week ago. He died Apri1 2 at age 84
“People are just saying thank you,” said Rich Vivrette, 60, of San Ramon, Calif., who was in Italy on vacation. “(John Paul) was a man who touched so many hearts, so many lives.”
Vivrette’s voice broke as he spoke. Asked why, he said, “It’s how loved he was by the common people. Everybody really loved him because he was in the trenches, he was door-to-door, he would reach out and touch people. What’s really touching is all the posters in Rome that say, ‘Grazie, Santo Padre,’ or ‘Thank you, Holy Father.’ That was the theme everywhere we went.”
Richard Stangl, 55, of West Bend, Wis., had been traveling in Germany on business and was scheduled to return home Tuesday. But at the last minute, a friend gave him the idea to take a train to Rome so he could be here on the first day of the conclave.
“We’d be crazy not to come to this at this time,” Stangl said. “We don’t think we’ll (see) smoke tomorrow, but it’s wonderful to be here at this time in history.”
PH END DIAMANT
(Jeff Diamant is a staff writer for The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J.)
