CITIZENS COMPASS– The Catholic Church is set to set the ball rolling for the selection of the next Pope following the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday.
The process for the selection of the next Pope will be done virtually according to the ancient tradition of 800 years.
The system is known as the ‘Papal Comclave,’ and is a democratic process with a strong emphasis on working through multiple rounds of voting until a clear consensus emerges.
There is currently no set day for the Conclave to begin. Cardinals were meeting on Tuesday to discuss a timeframe.
Under the current rules, only cardinals under the age of 80 are allowed to cast a vote.
Officially candidates for pope need only be male and Catholic although in reality Pontiffs have only ever been chosen from the ranks of cardinals for centuries.
There’s no age limit on who can become pope, but Francis was 76 when he took up the position, and held it until his death aged 88.
Benedict before him was 78, and was pope for only eight years before his surprise retirement aged 85.
After the pope dies, a traditional mourning period of nine days begins in the Vatican. This is called the novendiales.
Meanwhile, over 50,000 people have queued in the last 24 hours to pay their respects to Pope Francis at St Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican has said.
On Thursday morning, the queue to see the Pope, who is in an open coffin, stretched out of St Peter’s Square and down the street – the longest the line had become since his body was moved to lie in state on Wednesday.
Entry to the church in Vatican City had been due to stop at midnight local time (22:00 GMT), but opening hours were extended to accommodate large crowds.
