The 133 cardinals who assembled within the Vatican for the top-secret conclave have chosen a brand new pontiff to exchange the late Pope Francis, who died at age 88 final month.
Plumes of white smoke streaming from a Sistine Chapel chimney Thursday signaled {that a} new chief of the Roman Catholic Church ― a religion with greater than 1 billion followers ― had been chosen by a two-thirds majority vote of the cardinals, the church’s most senior clergy below the pope. The brand new pope sometimes seems on the Vatican balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Sq. within an hour of the smoke billowing.
This {photograph} reveals white smoke rising from the chinmey of the Sistine Chapel, signaling that cardinals elected a brand new pope throughout their conclave within the Vatican on Could 8, 2025. ANDREAS SOLARO by way of Getty Photos
The 267th pontiff was chosen after a number of rounds of voting over two days. In 2013, it took 5 rounds of voting in below two days for the cardinals to decide on Francis. The quickest conclave lasted solely 10 hours in 1503, whereas the longest lasted almost three years in 1268.
The conclave initiated Wednesday morning native time, starting with mass, prayers and oath-taking earlier than the primary vote that night. Italian media reported that the Vatican deactivated all cell phone signals and activated sign jammers within the space to forestall any surveillance of the proceedings.
Individuals react and wave Vatican flags as white smoke indicators cardinals elected a brand new pope throughout their conclave within the Vatican on Could 8, 2025. GABRIEL BOUYS by way of Getty Photos
Any of the taking part cardinals could possibly be named the subsequent pope ― and technically, church guidelines state that any Catholic male is eligible for the position ― however solely a handful of cardinals are seen because the top contenders. And although there are 252 members of the School of Cardinals, solely these below 80 are eligible electors. Among the many 133 who voted, the Argentine-born Francis had appointed 108 of them ― lending him sizable posthumous affect on who’s been chosen as his successor.
This conclave has been probably the most geographically various one in historical past, with cardinals hailing from 71 nations, together with 17 from Africa, 23 from Asia, 37 from the Americas and 4 from Oceania. The remaining 52 are from Europe, the birthplace of each pope besides Francis for the previous 1,300 years.
Associated…
Source link