Cardinals gathered in Rome to elect a new
pope will begin voting later on Tuesday,
with no clear frontrunner in sight. The 115 cardinal-electors will attend a
special Mass in the morning before
processing into the Sistine Chapel to begin
their deliberations in the afternoon. They will vote four times daily until two-
thirds can agree on a candidate. The election was prompted by the surprise
resignation of Benedict XVI. The challenges of leading a Church beset by
problems ranging from the sexual abuse
scandal to accusations of corruption at the
Vatican bank proved too much for the 85-
year-old now known as Pope emeritus, say
correspondents. They now lie ahead for his successor, once he
is elected. Doors locked Tuesday morning will be dominated by the
saying of the Mass "for the Election of the
Supreme Pontiff", beginning at 1000 (0900
GMT) in St Peter's Basilica. In the afternoon, 115 cardinal-electors - all
under 80, as those over 80 are excluded - will
proceed into the Sistine Chapel for the
secret conclave to select Benedict's
successor. Once they have taken an oath of secrecy,
Msgr Guido Marini, papal master of
ceremonies, will call out the words "Extra
omnes" - "Everybody out" - and the chapel
doors will be locked to outsiders. The 85-year-old Pope emeritus resigned on
28 February after eight years in office,
citing ill health. He was the first Pope in six
centuries to do so. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was the marked
favourite ahead of the 2005 conclave that
elected him pope after just four rounds of
voting, says the BBC's Michael Hirst in
Rome. His status was compounded by a strong
sermon given during the pre-election mass, a
scathing attack on what he saw as the
"dictatorship of relativism". The vote for his successor is expected to be
much longer. After 10 general congregations open to all
cardinals, regardless of age - at which 160
cardinals spoke of the issues facing the faith
and its 1.2 billion adherents, and the qualities
needed by their next leader - no clear
frontrunner has emerged, our correspondent says. "Last time around there was a man of
stature, three or four times that of any other
cardinal," French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin
told reporters, according to Reuters news
agency. "That is not the case this time around.
Therefore, the choice has to be made among
one, two, three, four... a dozen candidates. "We still don't really know anything. We will
have to wait for the results of the first
ballot." Cardinal Angelo Sodano - the dean of the
college of cardinals who will lead Tuesday's
Mass and issue a sermon likely to touch on
the themes and priorities raised during the
congregations - is too old to vote at 85 and
not seen as a contender for the papacy. Candidates named as contenders include
Cardinal Angelo Scola of Milan, Brazil's
Odilo Scherer, and the US Cardinal Timothy
Dolan - though he told one interviewer
anyone who thought he was in with a chance
might be "smoking marijuana". Emphasis on secrecy Once inside the Sistine Chapel on Tuesday,
cardinals will listen to a meditation by
elderly Maltese Cardinal Prosper Grech
before holding a first vote, after which their
ballot papers will be burned. The smoke that will drift out of the chapel's
chimney early in the evening is likely to be
black - meaning no Pope has been elected. From Wednesday, two votes will be held each
morning and afternoon - with ballots burned
after each session - until one candidate
attains a two-thirds majority (77 votes). Then the smoke will be white, meaning the
266th bishop of Rome will have been chosen. Extensive measures are taken to prevent
details about the cardinals' discussions over
the next pope becoming public. On Monday, some 90 staff who will support
the cardinals during their time of seclusion -
including waiters, cleaners, drivers and
medical staff - took an oath of secrecy. The Sistine Chapel will be swept daily for
bugs.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21750661?