Rome.- “Extra omnes”, all outside. when the master of liturgical ceremonies of the Vatican, the Italian archbishop Diego Ravelli, pronounced this phrase in Latin, at 17.43 (local time), in the middle of a climate of enormous suspense The conclave finally began to choose the successor of Pope Francisfor many considered a virtual referendum about its 12 years and 39 days of disruptive papacy.
Just past 21 in Rome, and while a multitude of at least 45,000 people waited in the Vatican -so that the cell phones did not work well -, The first smoke came out: black.
As it was night, the famous smoking was difficult to see with the naked eye. It could be much better on the giant screens placed in the Plaza de San Pedro and La Vía de la Coniliazione. Then there was an “ohhhh” and an applause of those hundreds of thousands of people who waited several hours standing, with a cell phone in hand, that that first signal came out from the Sistine chapel, which all discounted that it was going to be black, but that, being the first, the first was historical.
Several hours before, after 16.30, in the middle of that scenography and spectacular theatricality of the great events of the Vatican, the 133 voters -among them the future Pope and four Argentines, which are considered to have no chance after the first Pope of the end of the world -starred in a solemn procession To move from the Paolina chapel -where they previously prayed in silence -to the Sistine Chapel.
Goal of thousands of tourists every day and the chicken of the golden eggs for the Vatican museums, this chapel, built in the 16th century by Pope Sixtus IV, was unrecognizable: with 12 tables, several more than in the last conclave because there are 18 cardinals more than then (when there were 115 the voters), covered by a beige cloth and underneath, another embroidered and with everything. A platform with Moquette, also beige, leveled the floor and covered the ancient mosaics of the floor.
As the dean of the Cardenalicio College, cardinal Giovanni Battista Re and the Vice Dean, the Argentine cardinal Leonardo Sandri, are greater than 80, in this crucial phase of the election of the 267 Pontiff of History, who took the baton was another person. And nothing less than the big favorite, the Italian cardinal, Pietro Parolin70 years old, the most important of cardinals-objects due to their title as Secretary of State. It was Parolin, obviously nervous, who then pronounced a brief prayer in Latin.
Then, with its purple coral habit, in a climate of great solemnity, The cardinals, tensethe procession to the Sistine Chapel began and began, walking in ranks of two and, accompanied by great choirs that invoked the litanies of the saints.
The younger cardinals went ahead, while Cardinal Parolin –With a worried face– The group closed. Upon arriving at the Sistine, decorated with the magnificent frescoes of Miguel Angel, Botticelli, Perugino, Pinturicchio, Ghirlandio and other teachers of the Renaissance, after leaning before the Cricifix located on the main altar, before which the final judgment is located, they were taking their positions around the tables.
The beautiful “Veni Creator Spiritus” was heard at that time, anthem in Latin who invokes the help of the Holy Spirit. Vatican’s cameras focused Concentrated faces, Drinkswhich reflected their awareness of being protagonists of a moment – select – that will mark the future of the Catholic Church.
After Parolin read a solemn formula in Latin and was the first to swear Keep the absolute secret about everything related to the papal choice, putting their command on an gospel placed in the center of the chapel, of one, the other cardinals did the same.
“I (name in Latin), Cardinal (last name) I promise, oblive and swear. Thus God help me and these holy gospels that I play with my hand,” they were pronouncing the 133 cardinals, with the various accents of the 70 countries from which they come.
Then, among the first to pronounce the formula, excited, Two candidable candidates were seen: Cardinal Filipino, Luis Antonio Tagle and the American cardinal, Robert Prevost, Agustiniano considered Latin American because he lived 20 years in Peru, who gave him a passport.
Several minutes later -some some werewitched were yawning by the cameras -, Other papable ones appeared Like the Italians Matteo Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna and Pierbattist General congregations, which some speculate that it could become a surprise. They all looked very concentrated. In the end, it appeared almost crying Cardinal Czech-Canadian and Jesuit Michael Czerny.
The television images of the beginning of the first conclave of the modern era with such a large and variegated number of cardinals, ended exactly at 17.46 premises. Was Three minutes after the master of the Pontifical liturgical ceremonies, the aforementioned Monsignor Ravelli, following the old ritual, pronounced the “extra omnes”“Everyone”, which announces the exit of the Sistine Chapel of all those who do not participate in the election.
Then, as announced, the Italian Capuchino friar Raniero CantaMessa, emeritus preacher of the Pontifical House, 90s and created Cardinal by Francisco in November 2020, delivered a last meditation to illuminate the voters.
After this, both he and Ravelli also left the syxtine. And the 133 marinated began their first vote. View the division and the impossibility that none of the papables receives the 89 votes necessary to be electro to the throne of Pedro, The first smoke was already expected to be black. This arrived much later than expected, minutes after the 21 stores, that is, more than three hours after the “extra omnes”, for various reasons.
Obviously the meditation of the Capuchino CantaMessa friar was long. And time was necessary, then, to overcome the scrutineers and other authorities, then to vote, one by one, of the 133 cardinals, who must pass and place their ballot in an urn placed on the altar of the chapel. And then, to count the ballots, read them aloud, sew them between them and burn them in one of the two stoves: one old and the other modern, which serves that, through chemical substances, the smoke comes out well black and does not cause confusion, as happened in previous conclaves.
This first scrutiny opened the true game of the conclave. Beyond the speculation of the Italian press, which estimated that Parolin had about 40-45 preferences (the same did with Cardinal Angelo Scola in the last conclave), it will have been interesting to see which papables have packages of consistent votes. Something that will make the 133 cardinals, now totally incommunicado, can reflect all night in Santa Marta on how to vote tomorrow, when they will vote for the second and third time. Then, it will be clear if there can be a Pope tomorrow Thursday, or not.
