Now that white smoke has finally billowed out of the chimney above the Sistine Chapel to signal that a new pope has been chosen, there will still be a short wait before the identity of the next pontiff becomes clear.
Based on what happened when Pope Francis was elected in 2013, it will probably take at least an hour before the designated cardinal appears on a balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to announce, in Latin, “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: Habemus papam” — “I announce to you a great joy: We have a pope.”
The cardinal (for this conclave, it is Cardinal Dominique Mamberti of France) will then announce the identity of the chosen pope and the name he will adopt as pontiff. Last time, Francis came out onto the balcony about 10 minutes after his identity was announced.
(Should Cardinal Mamberti be chosen as pope, the announcement will be made by Cardinal Mario Zenari of Italy.)
Inside the Apostolic Palace, which contains the Sistine Chapel, there will be a burst of activity in the meantime, as per rules set out in a 1996 Vatican document.
Archbishop Diego Ravelli, in his role as master of papal liturgical celebrations, will draw up a document certifying that the elected cardinal has agreed to become bishop of the church of Rome, true pope and head of the College of Bishops. Should the new pope not be a bishop, he will immediately be ordained.
According to the rules, the voting cardinals then “approach the newly-elected Pope in the prescribed manner, in order to make an act of homage and obedience.”
The pope will next be taken to the Room of Tears, a small chamber just off the Sistine Chapel, where he will put on the white papal cassock for the first time. Garments in three sizes are prepared and kept in the room since no one knows who — or what size — the next pope will be. The shoes come in various sizes, too. (The Room of Tears acquired its name because of accounts of previous popes having become overwhelmed with emotion in the room after their election.)
It is only after the pope has donned the papal vestments that he will emerge on the balcony and greet the public for the first time.
Elisabetta Povoledo is a Times reporter based in Rome, covering Italy, the Vatican and the culture of the region. She has been a journalist for 35 years.
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