The Conclave Begins Behind Locked Doors

Conclave Day One – No New Pope.

VATICAN CITY, March 12, 2013  – The Book of Ceremonies of the Conclave determines with fantastic accuracy the norms for the treatment now under way in the Sistine Church.

At 5:35 local time, the doors were shut, and the cardinals are in conclave (cum clave– Latin for “with a secret”).

The laws specify that, for this ceremony, the senior cardinal in the hierarchy– who presently is Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re– would command the event, which started with the Sign of the Cross and the proclamation of the following words, “May the Lord, who guides our hearts in the love and patience of Christ, be with you all.”

After this brief prayer, Cardinal Re invited all those gathered to start the procession towards the Sistine Chapel, where the Conclave will happen, with these words, “Venerable Brothers, after having actually commemorated the divine mystery, we now become part of Conclave to elect the Roman Pontiff. The whole Church, accompanied us in prayer, constantly calls upon the grace of the Holy Spirit, to elect from among us a deserving Pastor of all of Christ’s flock. May the Lord direct our steps along the path of honest truth, so that, with the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Apostles Peter and Paul, and all the saints, we could constantly do that which is pleasing to him.”.

After this prayer, the cardinals processed into the Sistine Chapel following the minister bearing the cross, the choir, the masters of ceremony, the assistant of the College of Cardinals, and the prelate who will direct the meditation to the Cardinal electors. The procession is ended with a deacon, worn alb and stole, bearing the book of the Gospels, in addition to Cardinal Re and the Master of Ceremonies.  Throughout the procession the cardinals sang the Litany of Saints, and concluded with the hymn “Veni Creator Spiritus.”.

One by one, the cardinals took a solemn oath, placing his hand on the Gospels and the formula in Latin.

At 5:32 local time, when the last of the Cardinal electors had taken the oath, the Master of Ceremonies recited the conventional formula “Extra omnes”. All those not taking part in the Conclave then left the Sistine Chapel and the doors were closed.

Also present in the Sistine Chapel with the Cardinal electors are the Master of Ceremonies and Cardinal Prospero Grech, O.S.A., whose task it is to do the second meditation on the grave nature of the task that is incumbent on them and hence on the demand to act with right purpose for the good of the Universal Church.

Cardinal Re will propose to the College of Electors to begin with the first vote of the Conclave after that exhortation.

Starting with the Conclave in 2005, in order to better distinguish the color of the “fumate” (smoke signalling the election or non-election of a pontiff), a secondary apparatus is utilized to produce the smoke in addition to the typical range where the Cardinal electors’ ballots are burned. This gadget stands next to the ballot-burning stove and has an area where, according to the outcomes of the vote, various coloured-smoke bringing in substances can be blended. The result is asked for by means of an electronic control board and lasts for several mins while the tallies are burning in the other range.

For a black “fumata” the chemical substance is made from potassium anthracene, perchlorate, and sulphur. The white “fumata” is a blend of potassium lactose, rosin, and chlorate. The rosin is a natural yellow-brown resin gotten from conifers. Prior to 2005 the black smoke was obtained using smoke black or pitch and the white smoke using damp straw.

The stove-pipes of the cooktop and the smoke-producing gadget join up and exit the roof of the Sistine Chapel as one pipe bring about the chimney set up on the ridge of the roof, which is visible from St. Peter’s Square. To enhance the air flow the pipe is pre-heated by electrical resistance and it likewise has a backup follower.