World waits for conclave date after Francis laid to rest

It was inevitable that the death of Pope Francis would lead to rumination about a successor.

Now that he has been laid to rest, speculation has intensified as the world waits for a start date to the conclave.

Rome entered a nine-day period of mourning on Saturday which involves prayers and masses for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis.

It also gives cardinals who may not already be in Rome time to travel for the conclave, which must begin 15-20 days after the death of a pope.

The next conclave could begin between 6-11 May, or sooner if the cardinals agree.

General congregations are held in the lead up to a conclave to allow cardinals speak freely about the Church and what they are looking for in a papal candidate.

It’s widely reported that Francis secured his election when he spoke briefly about the future of the Church and its pastoral priorities at a general congregation.

The gatherings are important because they enable cardinals to get to know one another.

Four general congregations have already taken place at the Vatican in the last week since the death of the Pope.

The fifth congregation is taking place this morning and a start date for the conclave could emerge from the meeting.

Of the 135 voting cardinals, 108 were appointed by Francis in recent years from all corners of the globe.

Travel restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic curtailed in-person introductions at the time, which is why the current congregations are particularly significant.

The word 'conclave' comes from the Latin 'cum clave' - meaning 'with a key' which reflects the tradition of locking the cardinals away until they make a decision on a new pope.

Only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote.

Habemus papam: How the conclave will choose Pope Francis's successor

Pope Francis's election in 2013 was swift - secured in two days after five rounds of voting.

Previous centuries have seen conclaves last for months and even years.

While the Holy Spirit is central to the secretive voting process, it does not occur without some soul-searching.

Lest it be forgotten, women who make up half of the Catholic Church's faithful are not in the room.

What will be in the room is Michaelangelo's 'Last Judgement' fresco, looming large over the cardinals as they vote.

They will be choosing a spiritual leader at a time of significant global turmoil.

The importance of their decision underscored by the photo depicting Presidents' Trump and Zelensky in discussions on the day of Pope Francis's funeral.

What makes the conclave particularly intriguing is the oath of secrecy taken by the cardinals.

The prospect of more than 100 men making a significant decision under lock and key without it being leaked to the press is almost unheard of today.

Indeed, the upcoming conclave will be the first in a world that AI, social media and smart phones dominate.

However, the central form of communication will be through smoke signals from the Sistine Chapel to the crowds in St Peter's Square.

Those signals - black smoke for waiting, white for a new pope - will mainly be communicated through social media.

Will their time of contemplation in the Sistine Chapel result in the 267th pope prioritising a pastoral approach to his papacy or could Catholics see a return to more conservative values?

We Are Church International, which is seeking reform of the Catholic Church, has called on the cardinals to reform "with courage and vigour".

In a statement, it said that it was the only way to truly overcome the internal and external crises of credibility in the Roman Catholic Church triggered by sexualised violence, clerical abuse of power, discrimination against women and self-centeredness.

It's not known how long the conclave will take, but considering that these men aren't overly familiar with one another, it could take longer than Jorge Bergoglio's election in 2013.

If there's no clear winner after 33 rounds of voting, there will be a run-off between the top two candidates, but the winner must attain a two-thirds majority.