World Awaits as Vatican Conclave Chooses New Pope: Look for White Smoke

By Crispian Balmer, Joshua McElwee, and Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (News in A Day) - Roman Catholic cardinals will begin the task on Wednesday of electing a new pope, locking themselves away from the world until they choose the man they hope can unite a diverse but divided global Church.

Dating back to medieval times, the cardinals will proceed into the Vatican’s ornately decorated Sistine Chapel following a public Mass at St. Peter's Basilica. They will then begin their secretive conclave to select a new pope to succeed Francis, who passed away last month.

No pope has been elected on the first day of a conclave for centuries, so voting could continue for several days before one of the red-hatted princes of the Church receives the necessary two-thirds majority to become the 267th pontiff.

On Wednesday, there will be just one ballot. Afterward, the cardinals may vote up to four times each day. If the voting does not yield a result, black smoke will emerge from the chapel’s rooftop chimney. Conversely, white smoke accompanied by bell ringing will indicate that the 1.4 billion-member church now has a new head.

The pope's influence reaches well beyond the Catholic Church, providing a moral voice and a call to conscience that no other global leader can match.

Cardinals in recent days have offered different assessments of what they are looking for in the next pontiff.

While some have called for continuity with Francis' vision of greater openness and reform, others have said they want to turn the clock back and embrace old traditions. Many have indicated they want a more predictable, measured pontificate.

An unprecedented 133 cardinals hailing from 70 different countries will gather inside the Sistine Chapel, an increase from the 115 cardinals representing 48 nations who participated in the previous conclave back in 2013—a rise attributed to Pope Francis’ initiatives aimed at broadening the Catholic Church’s influence into distant areas where followers are scarce.

There isn't a clear favorite yet, but Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle are seen as the leading contenders.

NO EAVESDROPPING

If it swiftly becomes apparent that neither candidate will emerge as the winner, voters might realign their support towards alternative contenders. The electorate could potentially consolidate based on geographical location, shared doctrines, or mutual linguistic ties.

Among other potential candidates are France's Jean-Marc Aveline, Hungary's Peter Erdo, American Robert Prevost and Italy's Pierbattista Pizzaballa.

"Let’s wait and see. It requires some patience," said Italian Cardinal Mario Zenari to journalists on Tuesday.

Similar to the practices of medieval times, the cardinals will be isolated from external communication during the conclave, and the Vatican has implemented advanced technological safeguards for confidentiality. These include using jamming equipment designed to thwart any potential surveillance.

The average length of the last 10 conclaves was just over three days and none went on for more than five days. A 2013 conclave lasted just two days.

The cardinals aim to finish swiftly once more to prevent appearing fractured or suggesting that the Church is directionless.

Some 80% of the cardinals who enter the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday were appointed by Francis, increasing the possibility that his successor will in some way continue his progressive policies despite strong pushback from traditionalists.

Among their considerations will be whether they should seek a pope from the global south where congregations are growing, as they did in 2013 with the Argentinian Francis, hand back the reins to Europe or even pick a first U.S. pope.

(Reporting by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)