The world’s attention has been on Rome, as people eagerly await the outcome of the papal conclave, so I’ll use my monthly column here to offer my own thoughts about a new pope.
As the cardinals prepare to enter into the Sistine Chapel to vote on the next supreme pontiff May 7, faithful across the world are watching in anticipation.
The Vatican's approach to security protocols for the papal conclave "sets a gold standard for organizations handling sensitive decisions," security expert and author Theresa Payton told OSV News.
Of the 135 cardinals eligible to enter the Sistine Chapel on May 7 to elect the next pope, one absence has sparked confusion, controversy and no small amount of speculation, almost as if it were a plot point of the movie "Conclave."
All but four of the 135 cardinals who are eligible to enter the conclave May 7 to vote for a new pope had arrived in Rome by May 2, according to the Vatican press office.
The rules and rituals for the election of a new pope say that immediately after his election, he goes into the sacristy of the Sistine Chapel and puts on "the garments that are appropriate to him."
One by one, placing a right hand on the Book of Gospels, staff driving, cooking, cleaning and caring for the cardinals who will elect a new pope will swear an oath of perpetual secrecy about the election of the 266th successor of St. Peter.
