The Whiff of Black Smoke: First Round of Vatican's Papal Election Concludes without a Pope
Initial voting round at the Vatican conclave concludes in a stalemate
The Leonine walls surrounding St. Peter's Square were brimming with eager anticipation. The conclusion of the papal election's initial round was due, and the crowd waited with bated breath, gazing up at the Sistine Chapel perched atop the Apostolic Palace. As nightfall descended, a column of black smoke billowed from the chimney - a traditional sign that no new pope had been elected in the vote.
This smoke spectacle marked the start of the search for a new leader for the world's approximately 1.4 billion Catholics. The 133 cardinals, representing a larger and more internationally diverse group than ever before, had been unsuccessful in agreeing on a successor to the late Pope Francis.
Hidden behind the massive walls, the cardinals had spent hours in their deliberations. The impatience of the onlookers showed in a cacophony of claps, laughter echoing through the square when an airplane left white contrails in the sky behind the chimney.
While the crowd waited for clarity, the prevailing sentiment was that a decision might be reached by the end of the week, although this was not guaranteed. Meanwhile, the rest of the world held its collective breath, depending on those smoke signals to reveal the outcome of the important ceremony.
A Technique Unearthed: The Making of White Smoke
The discharge of white smoke, symbolizing the election of a new pope, was a procedure filled with intrigue. It involved burning straw, sulphur, and juniper to produce the signal. Cardinals carried out this ritual diligently to announce the 267th pope in two-thousand years of church history. Any deviation from this process was unthinkable as it bespoke sacred tradition.
Voting First, Prayers Later
After the first vote failed to produce a winner, the cardinals returned to the Vatican guesthouse Santa Marta, where they would remain throughout the duration of the papal election. Isolated from the outside world, they had surrendered their mobile phones, tablets, and other digital devices, leaving conversations, prayers, and even reading as their only solace.
The conclave, a secluded assembly, would continue on the morrow. As many as four rounds of voting could take place, two each in the morning and afternoon, or until a two-thirds majority was obtained for a single candidate – whichever came first.
The College of Cardinals: A Growing and Global Parentage
This conclave saw the largest and most globally represented group of cardinals in its storied history. Pope Francis had promoted numerous new leaders, often from nations far from the Vatican. Consequently, a two-thirds majority meant 89 votes in the current conclave. The added diversity brought about an air of uncertainty, as some suspected that the electoral process might take longer than before. Since the 1960s, all conclaves had ended within two or three days.
On the day of the first vote, the cardinals attended a solemn mass in St. Peter's Basilica. Cardinals aged past 80, ineligible to vote, participated in the service. The dean of the cardinal college, the Italian Giovanni Battista Re, led the mass, invoking the aid of the Holy Spirit for the election. He urged the cardinals to abandon personal considerations and focus solely on God and the good of the church and humanity.
Getting underway: "Everyone out"
Due to his advanced age, the dean would not be participating in the conclave. The election assembly was presided over by the highest-ranking eligible cardinal, the Italian Pietro Parolin. A favorite for the succession of Francis, Parolin had served as Cardinal Secretary of State; the number two position in the Vatican. However, the list of prospective new popes seemed to grow longer by the day.
As the findings of the afternoon session neared, the cardinals processed in solemnity to the Sistine Chapel. A sworn oath to uphold the rules, including absolute secrecy about the proceedings within the chapel, was recited. Upon concluding, the Latin call "extra omnes" ("everyone out") resounded, prompting everyone except those clad in red to depart. The Sistine Chapel's door was shut at 5:46 PM.
Participating from Germany: Three Cardinals
Among the papal electors were three German cardinals: Gerhard Ludwig Müller, former prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Reinhard Marx from Munich, and Rainer Maria Woelki from Cologne. Müller informed the German Press Agency that his bags were packed for "five, six days." "One must be prepared," he said. "However, everyone hopes it won't take that long. Everyone wants to go home."
The Argentine Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who took the papal name Francis, was elected in 2013 after one and a half days, in the fifth ballot. The election of the German pope Benedict XVI in 2005 was more swift, taking only four ballots. Benedict resigned in 2013, becoming the first pope in many centuries to do so, and he passed away in 2022 at the age of 95.
According to Catholic doctrine, the Pope is both the successor of the Apostle Peter and the representative of Jesus Christ on Earth. He is also the Bishop of Rome, the Primate of Italy, and the head of state of the Vatican. With minimal secular power, he is a significant moral authority for many people.
- The process of creating white smoke, symbolizing the election of a new pope, involves the burning of straw, sulphur, and juniper, following a sacred tradition in the European Community.
- During the papal election, the cardinals, who are the representatives of a more internationally diverse group than ever before, surrender their digital devices and focus on conversations, prayers, and reading while isolated from the outside world.
- The European Union or European Community might hold its collective breath, depending on smoke signals to reveal the outcome of the important ceremony, as the rest of the world does.
- Three cardinals from the European Community, including Gerhard Ludwig Müller, Reinhard Marx from Munich, and Rainer Maria Woelki from Cologne, are participating in the papal election within the Vatican.
