The Calm Before The Conclave

The chimney on the Sistine Chapel roof, ahead of the conclave to elect the next pope, on Wednesday. Amanda Perobelli/Reuters

Now this morning’s Mass has ended, the cardinals will return to the Santa Marta residence – perhaps take a short rest and have lunch.

I imagine it’s a case of choosing their closest friends, or people they know well, to sit with. Perhaps they will be sat in language groups. They will choose where to sit, and next to whom, as they begin the all-important discussions.

The politics have been intense. There are groups who would like to see a pope in a very different shape to Pope Francis – they’ve been handing out dossiers and information pushing for certain candidates. But I think the cardinals are conscious of that, and they are very keen not to allow that to influence their discussions.

Of course, they’ve had to hand in their electronic devices already – some may already be experiencing withdrawal symptoms from their iPads. Conclaves in the past were influenced by European monarchs who, up until the early 1900s, had a veto of candidates elected in a conclave.

There really is this strong sense that they should be shut off from the world, so they are free to decide who should be the next pope.

Later today, the cardinals will proceed into the Sistine Chapel for the start of the conclave, marked by another prayer service. Santa Marta, the guesthouse built under John Paul II, was designed specifically to host cardinals during a conclave.

Previously, they were housed in cramped quarters inside the Apostolic Palace — conditions that were far from ideal for such a momentous task.

CNN