The beginning of the sensitive and historic process of electing a new pope

The cardinals of the Catholic Church began the sensitive and historic process of electing a new pope in the Vatican.

On Wednesday, May 7, the cardinals of the Catholic Church gathered at the Vatican to begin voting to elect a new pope after celebrating their final Mass. The Mass was celebrated by Giovanni Battista Re, president of the College of Cardinals, and during the ceremony, a prayer was offered for the 133 cardinals before entering the Sistine Chapel, asking them to exercise wisdom, good judgment, and sound understanding as they cast their votes.

There are deep divisions among the 133 cardinals taking part in the vote, and the election of the world's Catholic leader will be unpredictable and highly complex. They will be isolated and separated before entering the church, their mobile phones will be tapped, and wireless communications around the Vatican will be disrupted so that no calls can be made until a new pope is elected.

The secret vote, called a conclave, took place in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel after the cardinals entered the church at 4:30 p.m. local time, and will remain in complete isolation until the new pope is named after the church doors were closed and the Extra Omnes (all out) decree was issued. Only 133 of the more than 250 cardinals are under 80 and eligible to vote.

They represent Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas and Oceania. Voting will take place in two rounds, in the morning and in the evening, and will continue until one candidate receives two-thirds of the votes plus one. The process will be carried out in strict secrecy, and after each round of voting, the ballots will be burned in a special oven.

The first vote was held this evening, and the Vatican announced that if no one is elected in this round, black smoke will come out of the chimney of the Sistine Chapel at around 7 p.m. Black smoke coming out of the chimney means disagreement, and white smoke indicates the election of a new pope, and thousands of Christians are waiting to see this smoke in St. Peter's Square to learn about the election of a new pope.