Vatican officials announced Friday that the 115 cardinals from around the world will officially begin their conclave, the official process used to elect the successor of Pope Benedict XVI, on Tuesday.
As my colleagues, Laurie Goodstein and Daniel J. Wakin reported several cardinals, before they were asked to stop giving interviews, offered hints earlier this week about what they are looking for in a next leader of the world’s 1. 2. billion Catholics. Offering sins of nostalgia for the late Pope John Paul II, they “cited attributes that the church now needs: a compelling communicator who wins souls through both his words and his holy bearing, and a fearless sheriff who can tackle the disarray and scandal in the Vatican.â€
A video from inside the 15th-century Sistine Chapel, where the secret voting will take place, shows workers making the final preparations for the conclave. They put down a false floor over the ornate tiles and also installed equipment that would block any electronic signals from getting outside of the chapel. They also put the finishing touches on the stove that will signal white smoke when the next pope has been chosen.
A video also shows the urns used for voting inside the chapel.
After the “Vatileaks†scandal, when the former pope’s butler leaked secret documents alleging corruption in the Holy See, additional security measures will be taken for the conclave. To make sure there are no hidden microphones or recorders, the Sistine Chapel will be sweeped before the voting begins. Each cardinal takes an oath of secrecy before entering the Sistine Chapel for the voting that reads: “We promise and swear with the maximum loyalty to observe, both with clerics and laymen, the secrecy of all that regards the election of the Roman pontiff and what takes place in the place of election.â€
