All times displayed are local time in Rome.
10 AM: Mass
3 PM: Vatican cut off from phone signals
4:15 – 4:30 PM: Cardinals process to Sistine Chapel
5 PM : Cardinals remain in seclusion until a new Pope is elected
7 PM Rome: Earliest time to expect smoke announcing if a new Pope has been elected or not
(LifeSiteNews) — The papal conclave has begun today, May 7. After days of prayer and fasting, the cardinal electors have begun the process that has captured the attention of both Catholics and non-Catholics worldwide. As eyes turn toward the chimney atop St. Peter’s Basilica, all await the smoke that will reveal the successor of St. Peter.
RELATED: White smoke vs. black smoke: How do we know when we have a new pope?
Here’s a simple guide to the day’s events.
10 am: Holy Mass
The Holy Mass “Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice” (for the election of the Roman Pontiff) was celebrated this morning by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals.
3 pm: Phone signals are blocked
Phone signals will be deactivated in the Vatican before the voting begins. This will not affect the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square to pray and watch for smoke from the chimney.
4:15 – 4:30 pm: Cardinals process to the Sistine Chapel
The 133 cardinal electors will assemble in the Pauline Chapel in the Apostolic Palace to pray the Litany of the Saints. As the hymn begins, they will walk to the Sistine Chapel.
4:30 pm: The voting process begins
- At the Sistine Chapel, after singing Veni Creator Spiritus, the cardinal electors will take a solemn oath as outlined in paragraph 53 of Universi Dominici Gregis, the Apostolic Constitution of Pope St. John Paul II. This oath binds each elector to secrecy regarding all aspects of the conclave and to reject any form of external interference. Should one of the cardinals be chosen as pope, he pledges to faithfully fulfill the Munus Petrinum — (Latin for the office or mission of Peter) — and to uphold the rights and liberty of the Holy See.
- Archbishop Diego Giovanni Ravelli, the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Ceremonies, will then pronounce the traditional command “Extra Omnes”—a solemn directive that all those not participating in the conclave must depart the Sistine Chapel.
- The 90-year-old Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, Preacher Emeritus of the Papal Household, will next deliver the second meditation to the cardinal electors, in the presence of Archbishop Ravelli.
- At about 5 PM (11 AM ET), following the meditation, Cardinal Cantalamessa and Msgr. Ravelli will depart the Sistine Chapel, leaving the cardinal electors alone to begin the first round of voting.
- The cardinal electors will then recite prayers according to the Ordo Sacrorum Rituum Conclavis and listen to the Cardinal Dean, who asks whether they are ready to proceed with voting or if there are any clarifications regarding the rules and procedures.
- The senior cardinal deacons will draw lots to appoint three scrutineers to count the votes, three infirmarii to collect ballots from sick cardinals, and three revisers to verify the vote count. If any of those chosen are unable to fulfill their duties due to illness or other reasons, lots will be drawn for their replacements. This stage is referred to as the pre-scrutiny.
- After each round of voting, the ballots will be burned. Black smoke (fumata nera) signals that no pope has been elected. It is produced by burning a mixture of potassium perchlorate, anthracene, and sulfur. Conversely, white smoke (fumata bianca) indicates the successful election of a new pope. It is achieved by burning a combination of potassium chlorate, lactose, and pine rosin.
7 – 8 pm: Smoke from the burning ballots will first appear
The first ballot will be cast this evening. It is rare for the Pope to be elected in this round. The faithful can expect to see smoke between 7 and 8 PM Rome time (between 1 and 2 PM Eastern Time).
After the voting is concluded, the cardinal electors will pray the Vespers in the chapel and return to their residences. The process will continue tomorrow, May 8, with two ballots in the morning and two ballots in the afternoon until the new Pope is elected.
RELATED: Cardinals offer pre-conclave Mass for the election of a new pope
