On Wednesday, May 7, 133 cardinals of the Catholic Church will enter the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican to elect a successor to Pope Francis, who died on April 21 on Easter Monday. The conclave will take place in strict secrecy behind closed doors until the new Pope appears on the balcony in front of the waiting crowd and greets the faithful. What will happen during the most secret election in history and what can the world, including Ukraine, expect, the correspondent of UNN found out.
What the conclave begins with
After the liturgy and before the first vote, the cardinals solemnly swear to meticulously comply with the provisions contained in the Apostolic Constitution "Universi Dominici Gregis" regarding the non-disclosure of any details that take place during the election of the Roman Pontiff
The expert said that on the first day there is one vote. On subsequent days, there are four at once. The election of the Pope will be announced by the traditional white smoke.
Cardinal predicts short conclave to elect Pope03.05.25, 09:22 • [views_16324]
"On the first day of the conclave (which falls on Wednesday, May 7 - ed.) there will be one vote in the afternoon. Starting from the second day of the conclave, there will be four votes: two in the morning and two in the afternoon. Of course, in addition to the votes themselves, there will also be liturgies and prayers. The election of the Pope will be signaled by white smoke from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, as well as a bell from St. Peter's Basilica," Marusiak explained.
Marusiak added that the cardinals are already discussing the likely candidate, as all the cardinals who arrived at the conclave are living together in the House of St. Martha.
What is the voting procedure?
The voting procedure itself is quite fast, but delays can only occur in certain organizational moments. For example, if one of the cardinals in the House of St. Martha is physically unable to be present in the Sistine Chapel.
"In this case, infirmarians with an empty locked urn and a sufficient number of ballots on a tray will be sent to such cardinals each time. In addition, there is a separate procedure for what to do if a cardinal is physically unable to write the name on the ballot," the lawyer explained.
Marusiak also said that there have been cases in history when the Pope was elected differently.
"John Paul II abolished the possibility of holding papal elections in the form of per acclamationem seu inspirationem (when all cardinal electors unanimously and spontaneously proclaim someone Pope without a formal vote, if such unanimity was the result of divine inspiration) and per compromissum (when all cardinal electors voluntarily transferred the right to elect the Pope to a small group elected from among themselves)" - said Marusiak.
How long will the conclave last?
The expert admitted that one vote is most likely not enough. However, electing a Pope on the second day is quite realistic.
"For example, the conclaves in August 1978, 2005 and 2013 lasted 2 days; and in 1963 and in October 1978 - 3 days. At the same time, Benedict XVI was elected in four votes, and Francis in five," Marusiak summarized.
Conservatives or liberals
"Conservative or liberal - it's all very conditional. The new Pope will voice what is popular now. Most likely there will be a move towards conservatism, but this will have little impact on the Vatican's policy. It will be more like a soothing pill after the impulsive and extremely liberally minded Francis," explained theologian Denys Targonskyi.
The theologian stressed that the direct expression of the Vatican's policy is precisely the cardinals, who can influence the Pope. However, there is no leverage over the cardinals.
"The Vatican influences the Pope. No one can influence the Vatican - neither parishioners nor priests. Note: do parishioners or priests elect cardinals? They are not accountable to anyone and bear no responsibility. They have their own policy," the theologian said.
New Pope and Ukraine
"None of the papabili would be an optimal option for Ukraine. This will not affect our country in any way. They will take some actions of mercy out of Christian considerations. For example, to facilitate the release of prisoners. To help somehow humanitarianly. But that's all," the theologian believes.
Targonskyi expressed the opinion that of the possible contenders for the throne of St. Peter, the Hungarian and American cardinals may be the least acceptable for Ukraine.
"Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdő, supported by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and American Cardinal Raymond Burke, an ally of Donald Trump, are, conditionally, the worst options for Ukraine," the expert said.
In turn, the theologian called the Vatican Secretary of State and the main favorite of the future conclave - Cardinal Pietro Parolin - the most optimal scenario for Ukraine.
"Very conditionally, the best option for Ukraine would be Secretary of State Pietro Parolin. No matter what, he at least has a diplomatic talent. He will at least pretend to be benevolent to Ukraine," Targonskyi believes.
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