Cardinals have gathered at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican to celebrate a final Mass before beginning the conclave to elect the next pope. This Mass is a moment of prayer before the 133 cardinals from 70 countries begin the process of choosing a new leader for the Catholic Church, following the death of Pope Francis on April 21 at the age of 88.
The Mass is being led by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, who is praying for wisdom, guidance, and understanding for the cardinals. Later in the day, they will enter the Sistine Chapel to cast their first ballots in the election.
The College of Cardinals will be sequestered during the conclave, with no contact to the outside world. They will surrender their mobile phones and operate in a jamming environment to ensure no external communications during the voting process.
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