Vatican City (AP) — Preparations for the Conclave aimed at selecting a new pope took a significant step forward on Friday with the setup of a chimney atop the Sistine Chapel, signaling the succession process following Pope Francis.
Vatican firefighters were spotted working on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, installing the chimney, which is an essential part of the preparations for the Conclave set for May 7th.
During each two rounds of voting in the chapel, the Cardinals’ ballots are burned in a special furnace, providing the public with the outcome.
If no pope is chosen, the ballots will be burned with substances like potassium perchlorate, anthracene (a coal tar derivative), and sulfur, resulting in black smoke. On the other hand, if a pope is elected, the mixture includes potassium chlorate, lactose, and chloroform resin, producing white smoke.
Back on March 13, 2013, white smoke billowed from the chimney after the fifth vote, leading to Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio being announced as Pope Francis from the loggia of St. Peter’s Cathedral. Francis, the first Latin American pope, passed away on April 21 at the age of 88.
The installation of the chimney coincided with discussions about the future needs of the Catholic Church, as Cardinals gathered in the Vatican to deliberate on the qualities required in the next pope.
These discussions involve all Cardinals, including those over 80, who aren’t eligible to vote in the Conclave.
Recently, they have received updates regarding the Vatican’s troubling financial situation and had an opportunity to address future priorities, alongside challenges highlighted during Pope Francis’s tenure.
Francis stirred mixed feelings; while he was admired for his focus on the marginalized and the poor, he faced criticism from some who felt he created confusion on moral and doctrinal matters. Although the traditionalist faction does not hold a majority among the 135 voting Cardinals, there’s hope that the next pope will reestablish the core teachings of the Church and serve as a stable leader within Vatican bureaucracy.
Cardinal Beniamino Stella, who led the clergy office under Francis before his retirement in 2021, was among the older non-voting Cardinals sharing insights during the preparatory discussions. He recently voiced strong criticism of bureaucratic reforms that permitted women and laypeople to take leadership roles, a point he articulated in remarks to a Jesuit magazine in the United States.
This reform, part of a 2022 Constitution, aimed at revamping the Vatican bureaucracy according to directives set forth by the Cardinals in 2013 during Francis’s papacy. However, critics of this nine-year effort argue that it sought to enhance the efficiency and service orientation of the clergy.
Pope Francis has appointed non-clerics as heads of the Vatican’s Telecommunications Business and Ministry of Economy, with two nuns taking charge of significant Vatican offices. Simona Branvila oversees the Vatican department for Catholic religious orders globally, while Sister Rafaela Petrini manages the Vatican city-state. This role involves overseeing everything from the Vatican Museums, which generate substantial revenue, to the firefighters who installed the new chimney in the Sistine Chapel.
These appointments underscore Francis’s belief in increasing female representation in church governance. However, unnamed Cardinals quoted by U.S. sources indicate that Stella opposes Francis’s approach to separating church governance from the priesthood.
The impact of older Cardinals, like the 83-year-old Stella—who cannot vote—on the younger electors remains uncertain.
