- New Pope Elected: White smoke from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney signals the election of the Catholic Church’s 267th spiritual leader.
- Challenges Ahead: The new pope faces issues like conflict, sexual abuse scandals, and the Vatican’s financial troubles.
- Conclave Process: 133 cardinals from five continents participated, using smoke signals to indicate progress.
- Introduction: The new pope will be introduced in Latin with his chosen papal name and deliver his first address.
- Inauguration: The papal inauguration will feature a mass and a tour of St. Peter’s Square in the popemobile.
The Catholic Church has a new pope, its 267th spiritual leader, after white smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney on Thursday. The new pope will appear on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, where he’ll be introduced in Latin with his chosen papal name and deliver his first address to the world.
When the new pope appears, he’ll likely be wearing traditional papal garments, including a white skullcap, white cassock, white sash, white shoulder cape, and white rochet. These garments symbolize papal authority, innocence, charity, and holiness.
The new pope faces significant challenges, including asserting moral voice on a conflict-torn global stage, addressing the sexual abuse scandal, and managing the Vatican’s troubled balance sheets. The Church has also struggled to adapt to the modern world, with declining priest numbers and increasingly empty pews in the West.
The conclave, which began on Wednesday, involved 133 cardinals from five continents. They used smoke signals to communicate their progress, with white smoke indicating a successful election. After the election, the new pope will traditionally enter the Room of Tears to don his papal attire for the first time.
The papal inauguration usually takes place less than a week after the election, with a mass celebrated before political and religious leaders from around the world. The new pope will likely do a tour of St. Peter’s Square in his popemobile for the first time, before delivering a homily outlining his priorities.
