A plume of black smoke rose from the chimney over the Sistine Chapel, signaling that the 133 cardinals present couldn’t elect a new Pope on the first day of the Conclave.
The initial voting began around 5:45 PM local time, following a solemn procession to the Chapel and the cardinals taking their oaths in secrecy. The attention quickly turned to the iconic chimney, closely watched to see if any votes had been cast.
After a long wait, black smoke finally emerged at 9:05 PM.
The Conclave will continue on Thursday and won’t conclude until a successor to Pope Francis, who died last month at 88, is chosen.
St. Peter’s Square was crowded, even though everyone knew a Pope wasn’t likely to be elected on the first day.
Sinzia Capolari, from Tuscany, was in Rome visiting the tomb of Pope Francis at the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica. She recalled being in a nearby café in April 2005 when Pope Benedict XVI was elected. “People were shouting, ‘Fat, fat, fat! It’s done,’” she reminisced, adding that she rushed outside to catch the white smoke.
Now, she was eager to find out who the new Pope would be. “I hope we can continue the work of Francis. He stood for marginalized people, and that’s something we must keep going. We can’t go back to the Church’s flashy riches; that’s just not the way anymore,” she expressed.
During a mass before the cardinal conclave at St. Peter’s Cathedral on Wednesday morning, Giovanni Batista Les, an Italian cardinal, seemed to echo these sentiments. He urged the electors to set aside personal interests, emphasizing that the selection of a new Pope carries immense responsibility.
He prayed for guidance from the Holy Spirit, seeking light and strength, and emphasized that only love could truly change the world.
Finding a suitable replacement for Francis is tricky, given the diverse and somewhat divided views within the cardinal ranks. Some had never met before arriving in Rome for the funeral. While some align with the progressive church Francis promoted over his 12 years, others wish to revert to former ways.
There’s a collective wish that the conclave shouldn’t stretch out too long, as there’s a concern about giving the impression of division within the Church.
In preliminary meetings leading up to the vote, cardinals discussed their hopes for the church’s future regarding evangelization, financial matters, addressing sexual abuse scandals, and aiding the poor and immigrants.
However, the role of women wasn’t on the agenda, despite Francis’s efforts to advance their position, even if he’s maintained that women cannot become priests.
A group advocating for women’s ordination has recently gathered in Rome to voice their concerns.
A burst of pink smoke wafted over Janicolo Hill before the conclave started, part of a peaceful protest led by supporters of the UK-based group Ordination of Catholic Women (CWO).
“It’s 133 men using smoke signals to tell the world about their choice of Pope,” said Miriam Deignan, a CWO supporter. “They ignore women and marginalize half of the global church population. We want them to recognize this injustice through our smoke signals.”
