(CN) — The doors of the Sistine Chapel closed to the outside world on Wednesday as 133 Roman Catholic Church cardinals began the secret process of electing a successor to Pope Francis.
More than two weeks after Francis’ death, Catholic Church leaders convened as the so-called conclave following a public Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica and an individual oath of secrecy. Only cardinals not over the age of 80 are allowed to vote.
All eyes, then, turned to a chimney atop the Sistine Chapel that spews smoke after each round of voting by the cardinals. It could take several days — and potentially longer — for a successor to be chosen. No pope has been elected on the first day of voting for centuries.
When black smoke gushes out of the chimney, that signals the conclave has not picked a new pope. Contrariwise, white smoke signals to the world — and the thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square — that a new pope has been chosen.
On Wednesday, the first smoke signal came just after 9 p.m. in Rome and it was black. Only one round of voting was scheduled for Wednesday and the secret election process was set to continue Thursday.
A new pope is expected to be chosen soon, perhaps even before the weekend. In the last 150 years, conclaves have lasted at most five days. Francis was elected on the second day in 2013 after five rounds of voting.
This year’s conclave holds the largest number of cardinals ever at 133. Francis appointed 80% of the cardinal electors.
Francis, who served 12 years as a groundbreaking progressive pontiff, died on Easter Monday and was laid to rest on April 26 following a funeral with scores of political and religious leaders in attendance, including U.S. President Donald Trump.
Francis was the first Latin American and Jesuit pontiff and he was beloved for his warmth, joviality and intellect. His death was a major blow to many Catholics around the world, especially those embracing his progressive worldview and compassion for the poor, downtrodden and marginalized.
The big question surrounding the Vatican is whether the next pope will carry on Francis’ push to make the church more progressive and more decentralized. The church has long been consumed in a fierce clash between traditionalists and progressives.
Francis’ papacy was marked by his desire to reform the church from within to make it more inclusive and global. With his commitment to social justice, grounding in Jesuit teachings and affection for people, Francis became known as the “people’s pope” as he waded into crowds, hugged children, kissed old women and talked about the need to care for the less fortunate, particularly refugees and migrants.
He also criticized the excesses of capitalism, disapproved of growing economic inequality and urged world leaders to tackle climate change.
He left a legacy of speaking up for the need to provide legal protections for gay couples, urged priests to embrace divorcees and opened debate about letting women take on ordained roles.
On Wednesday outside St. Peter’s Basilica, a group of Catholic women demanding the church elevate women to priesthood released pink smoke flares to get their message out.
“We are saying to the cardinals, you cannot keep ignoring 50% of the Catholic population, you cannot go into a locked room and discuss the future of the church without half of the church,” Miriam Duignan told AFP.
Courthouse News reporter Cain Burdeau is based in the European Union.