A total of 110 of the 115 cardinals in line to take over as the next Pope met in Rome this week as the process of electing the new leader of the Catholic Church begins.
A total of 110 of the 115 cardinals in line to take over as the next Pope met in Rome this week as the process of electing the new leader of the Catholic Church begins.
The remaining five cardinals are yet to arrive at the Vatican, with no reasons given for their late arrival.
An official date for the start of the election process has not yet been set.
This week Vatican spokesperson Rev Thomas Rosica said, “there is no desire to rush things”.
The cardinals who are in Rome have already met on numerous occasions in the past week, beginning a series of important meetings known as general congregations.
These meetings are said to be an important part of the papal electoral process.
Cardinals who wish to speak in these meetings must sign up to do so and so far 33 cardinals have spoken.
Reports from Italy say this week’s discussions focused on internal investigations into leaks from the Vatican, the church’s handling of child sex abuse scandals by priests as well as the kind of pope the conclave wishes to see.
The iconic Sistine Chapel, from where the conclave votes, was closed to the public on Tuesday this week in preparation for the elections.
The official Vatican Museum’s website said it will remain closed until further notice.
