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Black Smoke Signals No Pope on First Day of Conclave Black Smoke Signals No Pope on First Day of Conclave
(about 1 hour later)
VATICAN CITY — The cardinals of the Catholic Church held their first ballot on Tuesday to elect a pope, with black smoke signaling no winner on the first day of their conclave inside the Sistine Chapel. VATICAN CITY — It billowed, and it was black.
Night had fallen by the time the smoke rose, but people who had flocked to St. Peter’s Square on this cold, rainy evening could watch the spotlighted chimney on giant screens set up in St. Peter’s Square. Some shrieked in excitement as the thick smoke began billowing out. There was no mistaking the outcome this time. The cardinals voting for a pope on Tuesday came up with no winner on their first round of balloting, signaled by the black smoke that poured out of a jerry-rigged copper chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel.
The outcome was expected, since all 115 of the cardinals are theoretically candidates, and the winner must receive two-thirds, or 77, of the votes. In past modern conclaves, the first ballot essentially served as a primary, when a number of cardinals emerged as leading vote-getters. Subsequent rounds made clear where the votes were flowing. The smoke will be white when a pope is elected. At the last papal election, in 2005, the color was indeterminate in an early round, prompting confusion. But the cardinals locked inside the chapel and the technicians who prepared the chemicals to combine with the burning ballots must have done something right.
The cardinals, who are staying in seclusion in the Vatican’s Santa Marta residence, will return to the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday morning. The schedule calls for two rounds of voting in the morning and two in the evening, as needed. Technology helped too. By the time the smoke emerged, at 7:41 p.m., it was dark outside. But giant screens in St. Peter’s Square showed the spot-lit smokestack clearly. On a cold and rainy night, the square was still packed, and some people shrieked in excitement at the spectacle.
The conclave began 12 days after Benedict XVI became the first pope in modern times to renounce the throne of Peter. It was a period fraught with tense discussions about what kind of pope was needed for a church threatened by secularism, the scandal of clerical sex abuse and a Vatican bureaucracy stippled with corruption. But not some of the more jaded Romans, a seen-it-all breed. “We’re a little disappointed,” said Angelo Bonarelli, who was there with his wife Tiziana. “It’s a long, cold, rainy day and there was black smoke.” Mrs. Bonarelli said they would be back Wednesday, when the cardinals resume their voting rituals at 9:30 a.m. “We’re from Rome. It’s a tradition.”
The script was clear for the cardinals, and Vatican television showed the conclave’s opening pageantry. They glided two by two from the Pauline Chapel in the Apostolic Palace, through the Sala Reggia and into the Sistine Chapel, approached the altar and bowed before it. The outcome on Tuesday was expected, since all 115 of the cardinals are theoretically candidates, and the winner must receive two-thirds, or 77, of the votes. In past modern conclaves, the first ballot essentially served as a primary, with a number of cardinals emerging as leading vote-getters. Subsequent rounds made clear where the votes were flowing. The smoke will be white when a pope is elected. The schedule calls for two rounds of voting in the morning and two in the evening, as needed.
They took their places behind tables placed along the length of the chapel’s walls, with green ritual books, red folders and folded placards with their names on them. They placed their birettas — square, peaked crimson hats — in front of them. The conclave opened 12 days after Benedict XVI became the first pope in modern times to renounce the throne of Peter. It was a period fraught with tense discussions about what kind of pope was needed for a church threatened by secularism, the scandal of clerical sex abuse and a Vatican bureaucracy stippled with corruption.
The cardinals, led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, an Italian and the senior cardinal present, collectively swore, in Latin, to maintain secrecy and obedience to the constitution on papal transition. They also made an oath that if elected they would faithfully carry out the duties of a pope and defend the Holy See. Each then individually swore adherence with a hand on the gospel, in a Latin accented by their native languages — German, American, Arabic, Spanish, and so on. The script was clear for the cardinals, and Vatican television showed the conclave’s opening pageantry. The eminences glided two by two from the Pauline Chapel in the Apostolic Palace, through the Sala Reggia and into the Sistine Chapel, approached the altar and bowed before it.
Then the papal master of ceremonies, Msgr. Guido Marini, pronounced the words “extra omnes”: everyone out. Several dozen attendants, clergymen and at least three members of the Vatican press office left. Monsignor Marini was then shown closing the two carved wooden doors, with a loud click. The procession and oaths took about an hour. They took up positions behind folded placards with their names on tables placed along the length of the chapel’s walls. Green ritual books and red folders, presumably with the ballots inside, lay before them, and they placed their birettas — square, peaked crimson hats — on the tables.
After listening to a meditation pronounced by a clergyman and bidding farewell to him and Father Marini, the princes of the church got down to business. Following tradition, they wrote the name of their candidate on rectangular pieces of paper and tipped them into a flying-saucer-shaped urn, to be counted by hand and recorded by three cardinals chosen by lot. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, an Italian and the senior cardinal present, led them in a collective oath, in Latin, to maintain secrecy and obedience to the constitution on papal transition. They also made an oath that if elected they would faithfully carry out the duties of a pope and defend the Holy See. Each then individually swore adherence with a hand on the gospel, in a Latin accented by their native languages — German, English, Arabic, Spanish, and so on.
The ballots and notes are burned in a special oven set up in the Sistine Chapel, with chemicals added to produce the black or white smoke. “There were all in excellent form,” said the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, who was present for the swearing in. “They were all there. We counted,” he said with a smile.
In the morning, the cardinals celebrated a Mass led by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, who gave the last major public statement by a Vatican prelate before the church’s next supreme pontiff emerges. Then the papal master of ceremonies, Msgr. Guido Marini, pronounced the words “extra omnes”: everyone out. Several dozen attendants, clergymen and Vatican officials left — including Benedict’s longtime personal secretary, Archbishop Georg Gänswein.
He was there in his role as prefect of the papal household, Father Lombardi said. Benedict named him prefect several months before announcing his resignation. The former pope was 17 miles away at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, and Archbishop Gänswein’s dual role has reminded some in the Vatican about the awkwardness of having a former pope hovering nearby — an uncomfortable reminder of past schisms in the church.
Monsignor Marini was then shown closing the two carved wooden doors, with a loud click.
After listening to a meditation pronounced by a clergyman and bidding farewell to him and Father Marini, the princes of the church got down to business, according to the rules governing papal transitions. They wrote the name of their candidate on rectangular pieces of paper and tipped them into a flying-saucer-shaped urn, to be counted by hand and recorded by three cardinals chosen by lot.
In the morning, the cardinals had celebrated a special Mass led by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, who gave the last major public statement by a Vatican prelate before the church’s next supreme pontiff emerges. It was a call to unity for a church whose Vatican leadership has been riven by scandal, and whose cardinals are wrangling over what kind of pope they want.
“St. Paul teaches that each of us must work to build up the unity of the church,” the cardinal said in his homily. “All of us are therefore called to cooperate with the pastors, in particular with the successor of Peter, to obtain that unity of the holy church.”“St. Paul teaches that each of us must work to build up the unity of the church,” the cardinal said in his homily. “All of us are therefore called to cooperate with the pastors, in particular with the successor of Peter, to obtain that unity of the holy church.”
He also spoke of the church’s charitable and evangelizing mission and prayed for the future pope to continue to promote peace and justice around the world. The cardinal has long been one of the most influential figures in the Vatican and the ultimate insider, serving both John Paul II and Benedict as secretary of state. He mentioned both several times. Cardinal Sodano has long been one of the most influential figures in the Vatican and the ultimate insider, serving both John Paul II and Benedict as secretary of state. He referred to the “luminous pontificate” of the “beloved and venerated Pontiff Benedict XVI, to whom in this moment we renew our profound gratitude,” drawing long applause from the worshipers. A number of the cardinals, but not all, clapped modestly.
He referred to the “luminous pontificate” of the “beloved and venerated Pontiff Benedict XVI, to whom in this moment we renew our profound gratitude,” drawing long applause from the worshipers. A number of the cardinals, but not all, clapped modestly. Benedict, now bearing the title pope emeritus, was at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, a nearby hill town. The cardinals have appeared divided over whether the next pope should be an outsider who would reform the Italian-dominated Curia, or Vatican bureaucracy or a galvanizing leader who could shore up the church in the face of growing secularism. Benedict’s decision to resign was not universally welcomed in their ranks, according to news reports.
The cardinals have appeared divided over whether the next pope should be an outsider who would reform the Italian-dominated Curia, or Vatican bureaucracy; an internal choice who could bring change from within; or a galvanizing leader who could shore up the church in the face of growing secularism and inroads by Protestant evangelicals. Benedict’s decision to resign also was not universally welcomed in their ranks, according to news reports. The homily, firmly grounded in Gospel readings, was markedly different from the last such speech, which was given by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger ahead of the 2005 conclave that chose him pope. Then, Cardinal Ratzinger delivered a sharp warning against departing from fundamental Catholic teaching, denouncing what he called a “dictatorship of relativism.”
Since March 4, they have spent each day meeting as a whole for formal discussions. On Monday, the last day, they heard a report on the Vatican bank, which is facing criticism over its lack of transparency and adherence to international banking standards. That showing was considered a factor in his election. But Cardinal Sodano will not take part in this conclave. He is over the age limit of 80.
The homily, closely grounded in Gospel readings, was markedly different from the last such speech, which was given by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger ahead of the 2005 conclave that chose him pope. Then, Cardinal Ratzinger delivered a sharp warning against departing from fundamental Catholic teaching, denouncing what he called a “dictatorship of relativism” that leaves “only one’s ego and desires” as the ultimate measure.
That showing was considered a factor in his election.
Cardinal Sodano will not take part in this conclave. He is over the age limit of 80.
“It wasn’t anything like Ratzinger’s,” said the Rev. Thomas Reese, a senior fellow of the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University who was in Rome following the conclave. “That was tough. This was more like a homily on the readings than an agenda for action.”“It wasn’t anything like Ratzinger’s,” said the Rev. Thomas Reese, a senior fellow of the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University who was in Rome following the conclave. “That was tough. This was more like a homily on the readings than an agenda for action.”
Christopher M. Bellitto, a church historian at Kean University in Union, N.J., suggested that Cardinal Sodano might have been issuing a “plea for gentleness” to the cardinals who may be looking for a pope to shake up the bureaucracy of the Vatican. “It’s pretty clear there’s going to be a night of the long knives,” he said.Christopher M. Bellitto, a church historian at Kean University in Union, N.J., suggested that Cardinal Sodano might have been issuing a “plea for gentleness” to the cardinals who may be looking for a pope to shake up the bureaucracy of the Vatican. “It’s pretty clear there’s going to be a night of the long knives,” he said.
At the outset of the Mass, which was open to the public, the cardinals moved slowly down the central aisle of St. Peter’s Basilica in pairs, a wash of crimson robes and white mitres as Gregorian chant echoed through the cavernous Baroque space. They held their hands clasped in front, approached the altar, bent in reverence and parted ways to take their places. Readings took place in Swahili, Portuguese, French, Italian, English, Spanish and German.
Unlike previous recent conclaves, where powerful figures like Cardinal Ratzinger loomed large, this conclave seems wide open, with a scattered field of “papabili,” or pope-ables.