In the next 15 to 20 days, the election for Pope Francis’ successor will be held, following the death of 88-year-old Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Joseph Coutts, the second cardinal of Pakistan, is one of the candidates.
In addition to having complete authority over the Catholic Church, the pope is regarded by around 1.5 billion Catholics worldwide as a spiritual leader and a significant and influential figure.
Joseph Coutts of Pakistan is eligible to attend the conclave, a covert gathering where cardinals convene to choose a new pope, as he was born on July 21, 1945, fitting the requirement that cardinals, who are typically also bishops, be under 80.
If elected, Pakistan’s Cardinal Coutts will be the first pope from South Asia. Nonetheless, it has been noted that European cardinals are typically elected. Pope Francis, however, was the first Latin American to hold the office.
In the Sistine Chapel in Rome, cardinals convene beneath Michelangelo’s painted ceiling to begin the somewhat confidential process of selecting a new pope. To ensure the confidentiality of the meeting, newspapers and cellphones are taken out, and the chapel is searched for listening devices both before and during the conclave.
There are reportedly more than 90 countries represented among the 250 cardinals. However, because of the age limit, there are only 135 cardinal electors.
Two in the morning and two in the afternoon are the two times a day when Cardinals can cast their ballots. Only maintenance personnel, physicians, and priests who hear the cardinals’ confessions are permitted entry into their quarters at this time, and even they must sign an oath of secrecy.
The new pope must be elected with a two-thirds majority, and the process is repeated until there is only one contender left. The 1992 papal conclave, which took five days to select a new leader, was the longest.
