133 chiefs on Wednesday began the secret, centuries-old tradition of choosing a leader to Pope Francis, opening the most geographically diversified conference in the church’s 2, 000-year story. As Swiss Guards stood guard, the chiefs chanted” Litany of the Saints” as they entered Sistine Chapel two by two while standing at their respective interest. The cardinal are urged to find a new head of the 1.4 billion-strong Catholic Church by the hymn, which encourages the saints. Before taking an oath of secrecy and closing the Sistine Chapel windows to begin the conference, they bowed before the temple and took their places. Prior to the morning mass, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals, urged citizens to find a bishop who values unity and put aside all personal objectives. He said that the world now needs a president who can stir up minds. The cardinal, who are a descendant of 70 nations, are kept apart from the inside world until they are replaced. 108 of the 133 “princes of the church” were chosen by Francis from far-away nations, many of whom had always had a saint before. His decision to incorporate younger votes from the “global north,” which are frequently marginalized and have lower economic strength, has injected an unusual degree of uncertainty in a procedure that is full of tension, with dust signals telling the world if a pope has been elected or no. Many cardinals were unaware of one another until last week, when they lamented that they needed more time to get to know one another, which raises the question of how long it might take one man to acquiesce to the 267th pope’s two-thirds majority. The new pope faces many challenges, especially whether to carry on Francis ‘ progressive legacy on a number of issues or to reverse it in an effort to unify a divided church, despite the cardinals ‘ purported opposition to any” secular” influences in their choice. Constancy is likely because Francis chose 80 % of the voters, but the shape it might take is uncertain.
