A college of Catholic cardinals, set to vote the next pope in the Vatican's enigmatic, highly sacred ritual—a papal conclave—were locked behind the grand wooden doors of the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday, according to a Reuters report.
This exclusion of the cardinals from any outside influence that could alter their decision—known formally as a sequestration—is an important part of the conclave, at the end of which will emerge a pope, who will take on the job of uniting a diverse, yet divided Church for the world.
133 cardinal electors walked slowly into the chapel before taking an oath of perpetual secrecy, enveloped by a grandiose fresco of Michaelangelo's 'Last Judgement' that adorned the walls and the ceiling.
The Sistine Chapel, prepared for the papal conclave on May 6, 2025 (local time) | AP
Archbishop Diego Ravelli, the Vatican's master of ceremonies, then pronounced the Latin command "Extra omnes!" (Everyone out!), a formal command ordering all those not involved in the mediaeval process to leave.
The doors were then slammed shut, allowing the the highly-secretive process to elect Pope Francis' successor begin in solemn earnest.
Voting usually takes place over several days, before a cardinal receives the requisite two-thirds majority to become the 267th pontiff. No cardinal has ever been selected on the first day, in centuries.
The only expected signal from the cardinals during the entire conclave will be smoke from a chimney atop the chapel, as the clerics burn their ballots. Black smoke will mark an inconclusive vote—and therefore another day of voting till the pontiff has been elected—whereas white smoke, accompanied by bells ringing sweetly will signal that the 1.4-billion-member Church has a new leader.
