The Mass is presided over by the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re. This was celebrated on the morning of the first day of the Conclave, before the cardinals were accommodated in the rooms of the Casa Santa Marta and Santa Marta Vecchia, where they will stay for the duration of the Conclave, according to KosovaPress.

In the afternoon, at 4:20 p.m., the procession of cardinal electors will leave the Pauline Chapel for the Sistine Chapel, where the preliminary operations of the Conclave will begin and the first vote may take place. After the vote, the first “smoke” will be seen, the color of which indicates the result of the vote.

In his homily (religious speech), Cardinal Re emphasized that “prayer and the invocation of the Holy Spirit are essential for this important act.”

He said that cardinals must act for the good of the Church and humanity, abandoning personal interests and keeping in mind only God and the good of humanity.

MA/PR