How is a pope selected? A Maryland theologian explains the process.
On Wednesday, 133 Catholic cardinal electors will begin a round of votes to select the next pope. They will gather in the Sistine Chapel more than two weeks after the death of Pope Francis.
The papal conclave is a centuries-old tradition to elect the next pope of the Roman Catholic church.
"There's prayer involved. Really, what they have in front of them is a piece of paper, 'I elect __ as supreme pontiff,'" said Dr. Milton Bravo, a theologian and the vice president of Mission and Identity at Loyola University.
Dr. Bravo believes some cardinals want to see a new pope continue to carry out reforms of the Roman Curia, the church's central administrative body, laid out by Pope Francis. He said they want to see someone provide hope for parts of the world in need of peace.
"Something to the effect of a builder of bridges and a shepherd of the church, someone who may have some diplomatic background," Dr. Bravo said.
However, the most important part of the papacy is advancing the Church's Gospel.
Voting process
A two-thirds majority vote is needed to elect a new pontiff.
Dr. Bravo said cardinal electors will vote up to four times a day.
He said the first vote will happen on Wednesday in Rome.
"I believe if it takes more than three or four days to kind of go through this process, the rules call for additional prayer, additional reflecting before they take up the voting," Dr. Bravo said.
There's no timeline on when a new pontiff could be elected. The last three popes were elected in two or three days.
Dr. Bravo said this conclave could come with surprises, considering more cardinals in this process come from different parts of the world.
"Back when Pope Francis was elected, over 50% of the cardinals came from Europe," Dr. Bravo said. "That number is now below 40, it's 39%."
Parishioners prepare for papal conclave
Parishioners at Christ the King Catholic Church in Towson have their eyes set on the conclave, hoping the next pontiff meets certain characteristics.
"Oh, it's a very exciting time," said Jack Ames, a parishioner at Christ the King Catholic Church.
"We're trusting in God. We're trusting in the Holy Spirit and we're trusting in the process," said parishioner Josie Stec.
Parishioners told WJZ they are looking for the next pope to be a leader and keeps the values of the Roman Catholic Church.
"Somebody who will insist on Catholic doctrine, will not water it down," Ames said.
"We're looking for someone who's not going to put his own self in the place of making the decisions," Stec said.
