Send to Kindle
Lights illuminate Saint Peter`s Basilica, Vatican City, 11 March 2013. Photo by BGNES
The papal conclave tasked with electing a successor to retired Pope Benedict XVI begins Tuesday in Vatican City.
On Tuesday afternoon, 115 cardinal-electors, all of them under 80, will walk to the Sistine Chapel to begin the secret election, after a public Mass in St. Peter's Basilica in the morning, according to reports of the BBC News.
The cardinals are to begin voting late on Tuesday afternoon, with no clear frontrunner in sight.
The cardinals will vote four tines daily until one candidate has won a 2/3 majority, or 77 votes.
Black smoke from a makeshift copper chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel will indicate that no candidate has been elected while white smoke will announce the election of the 266th Pope.
The 115 cardinals will be banned from communicating with the outside world and the Vatican has installed electronic counter-bugging measures to ensure secrecy.
The election was prompted by the surprise resignation of Benedict XVI announced on February 11.
85-year-old Pope Benedict resigned after eight years in office, citing ill health.
As Pope Francis' passing on April 21 has prompted speculation over who will succeed him, media outlets are highlighting potential candidates for the papal conclave
Pope Francis passed away on the morning of April 21 following a stroke, as confirmed by the Vatican's press service
Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev and a delegation accompanying him were granted an audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican
The Vatican has issued a strong condemnation of gender reassignment surgery and surrogacy, labeling them as "serious threats" to human dignity
The Vatican has undergone a notable shift in its approach towards the ongoing war in Ukraine, signaling a firmer stance against Russia's aggression
“I will not resign today. You will get answers to all the questions next week.”
Iran launched missile strikes on American military bases in Qatar and Iraq on Monday night
Ursula von der Leyen is facing a political storm in Brussels after her European Commission decided to pull a major environmental bill
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are launching intense strikes against key regime targets in Tehran
A massive Russian missile and drone attack struck Ukraine’s capital Kyiv overnight, killing at least six people and wounding 19 more
A day after President Donald Trump authorized a high-stakes strike on Iran’s nuclear program, the United States claimed it had inflicted significant damage
Donald Trump’s decision to strike Iranian nuclear facilities marks a dramatic turning point - not only for the Middle East but for the global order, the presidency, and the long-standing shadow conflict between Washington and Tehran
Borderless Bulgaria: How Schengen Benefits Are Transforming Trade and Logistics
Bulgaria's Mortality Rate Remains Highest in Europe
