Cardinals are gonna get together for the papal conclave, where they pick a new head honcho for the Catholic Church. The whole shebang kicks off on May 7, according to Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni. This shindig is happening after Pope Francis got laid to rest last Saturday. World bigwigs and a bunch of folks turned up at the Vatican to say their goodbyes.
So, Francis passed on a week back on April 21, Easter Monday, at the ripe old age of 88. Poor guy had been battling health issues for a while, ending up in the hospital for weeks before he kicked the bucket. The Vatican spilled the beans on the conclave’s start date after a powwow of cardinals on Monday. Bruni spilled that more than 180 cardinals were at the meeting, but only a little over 100 of them will get to vote for the new pope. If you’re over 80, sorry, no voting for you.
The College of Cardinals is the crew that elects a new pope during a papal conclave. Bruni mentioned that during the cardinals’ chit-chat, they touched on topics like the Church’s relationship with the world and what qualities the new pope should have to handle the challenges ahead. A special mass is on the agenda for May 7, with voting starting in the afternoon. Some cardinals might be fashionably late due to health excuses, but Bruni didn’t spill the tea on who or why.
The late pope’s funeral rites are gonna last nine days after he’s put to rest. Traditionally, the conclave happens 15 to 20 days after the pope’s passing, but the Vatican kept us in the dark until now. Bruni mentioned they needed time to get things in order, so May 7 it is. The word “conclave” comes from Latin and means “with key,” a nod to the days when locals in Viterbo locked up the cardinals until they picked a new pope in 1268. It was a real nail-biter, lasting almost three years. Nowadays, it’s a quicker process, with Francis and his buddy Pope Benedict XVI getting elected in about two days.
So, who’s gonna be the next pope? The guessing game is on. Francis’ funeral was a real eye-opener about modern politics. People are lining up to pay their respects at his final resting place. All in all, it’s gonna be an interesting ride until we have a new pope in town.
