Over 100 cardinals from around the world begin the process Wednesday of selecting the next pope.
Father Kevin Earleywine is with St. Patrick Catholic Church in Hampton.
“Among the bishops, there are certain bishops that are given the title of cardinals. Cardinals will come together, they’re called the College of Cardinals, and they will go into what is called conclave. Literally means with the key or under the key. The traditional idea is that then they are literally locked in a room, and they will be locked in there, and they will pray and discuss and vote, and so they come to a decision. So what’s typically seen as that is they discuss and pray, of course, but then they vote by writing their votes on pieces of paper that are then collected and counted, and they need a two-thirds majority for a new pope be elected. If it’s not a majority, though at the end of the vote they burn all those pieces of paper, if it’s not a majority they throw a special chemical on the fire that makes it come out as black smoke up the chimney. Once they have elected, we wonder if they have two-thirds majority, then they put a special chemical that’s white smoke. So you may be seeing on the news they’ll be talking about the white smoke or watching for the white smoke because when the white smoke comes out the chimney that’s a sign is that we have a new pope.”
Pope Francis died on April 21st.
