A new pope could be named within a matter of hours, after more than 100 Catholic cardinals gathered inside the Vatican on Wednesday to elect the next pontiff, following the death of Pope Francis in April.
The conclave includes 133 cardinals who are currently inside the Sistine Chapel, which Michelangelo famously painted in the early 16th century. Before voting commenced, the cardinals made several prayers and sang “Veni, Creator Spiritus,” a hymn that is more than 1,100 years old.
While the 267th pope could be named on Wednesday, the process could also stretch into the back half of the week; if a successor has not been chosen after three days, the cardinals will take a 24-hour break. That has not happened since it took five days to elect Pope Pius XI in 1922; Pope Francis was elected after two days of voting in 2013.
The faithful who have gathered in Vatican City will be on the lookout for white smoke to emerge from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel, signifying the next Bishop of Rome has been elected.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin is presiding over the Conclave. The 70-year-old Italian, according to The New York Times, asked God to “give to your servants the spirit of intelligence, of truth, of peace, that they may strive to know your will, and serve you with total dedication” during the voting process.
Parolin, according to the betting markets, is the favorite to replace Francis, who was 88 years old when he passed away last month. Luis Antonio Tagle, a Filipino prelate, is also believed to have a good shot of becoming the next pope; he would be the first Filipino pope in the church’s history.
You can watch a livestream from the Associated Press in the embedded video above. Alternatively, CBS News, Fox News, NBC News and ABC News are also hosting live coverage with commentary.
In other pope-related news, President Trump posted an artificial intelligence-generated picture of himself donning papal attire last week — a move that was criticized by Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York. Dolan said the picture was “not good” and that he hoped the president had nothing to do with it. The president shrugged off criticism of the picture this week, however, saying, “The Catholics loved it” and that his wife Melania Trump found it to be “cute.”
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