From USA Today:
Over 130 elector cardinals from around the globe converged Wednesday in Vatican City to vote for the successor to Pope Francis, who will assume leadership of the world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, presided over the group’s Mass for the Election of the Roman Pontiff at St. Peter’s Basilica. He called for unity in faith and prayer and said the new Pope is facing a “difficult, complex, and troubled turning point in history.” Later today the cardinals will be transported from their living quarters at Casa Santa Marta, where Francis lived during his papacy, to the Sistine Chapel. Closed off from the world, they will again pray and begin deliberations ahead of the first round of voting. Cardinal Robert McElroy, archbishop of Washington, D.C., called the conclave process “profound and mysterious,” and said of any possible favorites to succeed Francis: “I can give you no insights into who is ahead.”
From the London Guardian:
As the cardinals ready themselves to select the next Pope, one thing is certain: this will be the most unpredictable conclave in the recent history of the Catholic Church. I worked in the Vatican for 18 years, and on my return to Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis last month, the tension and drama were already palpable.
Some observers and former colleagues I spoke to believe this will be a particularly difficult conclave, given its size – 133 electors, as opposed to 117 last time – and the fact that many of the cardinals don’t know one another. This is down to Francis diversifying the college, appointing cardinals from all over the world: a full 108 of the current crop were his selections. Others suggest the electors will try to reach a decision in less than a week to avoid the appearance of a divided Church.
From Fox News:
Only cardinal electors and a few authorized personnel are allowed inside the chapel during the conclave. The chapel will be physically sealed off from everyone else with its windows covered and a raised floor installed to protect the historic marble inlay and to conceal any potential surveillance devices.
Prior to the conclave, the chapel is thoroughly inspected for hidden surveillance devices to prevent any leaks of confidential proceedings. Wi-Fi will also be blocked throughout Vatican City for the duration of the conclave. In addition, all cardinal electors take a solemn oath to maintain the secrecy of the proceedings and violating this oath can result in excommunication. Smoke from the chapel’s chimney is the only way to signal the outcome of the voting.
From Catholic News Agency:
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, delivered this homily at the “Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice” (For the Election of the Roman Pontiff) Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on May 7, 2025, just hours before the cardinals entered the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis.
“We read in the Acts of the Apostles that after Christ’s ascension into heaven and while waiting for Pentecost, all were united and persevering in prayer together with Mary, the Mother of Jesus (cf. Acts 1:14). This is precisely what we are doing a few hours before the beginning of the Conclave, under the gaze of Our Lady beside the altar, in this Basilica which rises above the tomb of the Apostle Peter. We feel united with the entire People of God in their sense of faith, love for the Pope, and confident expectation…”
From MSNBC:
“We’re about to choose the most famous man in the world,” Ralph Fiennes’ character tells a fellow cardinal in the movie “Conclave.” That is not how I would define the role of the cardinals now gathering in Rome for a real-life papal conclave, but it’s accurate enough: Pope Francis very likely was the world’s most famous man at the time of his death April 21. But before March 13, 2013, he was Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, SJ, and unless you worked in Vatican City or lived in Buenos Aires, there’s a good chance you had never heard of him.
It is wise to keep that in mind as the world anticipates the election of Francis’ successor. The next Pope might be a household name by the end of May. In Vatican City, he is almost certainly well-known already — Hollywood intrigue aside, no secret cardinals will grab the spotlight in Rome. The cardinals will vote for someone they know and trust. But when they do, the rest of us, even the pundits making their short lists, are liable to hear the name announced from the balcony of St. Peter’s and say, “Who?”