Conclave: the Sistine Chapel, the ballots, the Room of Tears

ROME/VATICAN CITY — As anticipation mounts for the papal conclave, which begins on Wednesday, the Vatican Media has previewed the ballots and other materials for the election and the interior of the Sistine Chapel, where the voting will be held.

Within the highly secretive gathering, the cardinal electors must swear an oath never to divulge the details of the conclave, after which everyone not involved in the voting are sent out of the room.

All the names of 133 cardinal electors are printed on a ballot and put into four categories in Latin: cardinal bishops (cardinales episcopi), cardinal patriarch of the Eastern churches (cardinales patriarche ecclesiarum orientalum), cardinal priests (cardinales presbiteri), and cardinal deacons (cardinales diaconi). The names are sorted based on the cardinals’ relative precedence.

Each cardinal will receive multiple copies of the ballot, as well as a copy of Ordo Rituum Conclavis (Order of Conclave Rites).

At the Sistine Chapel, each cardinal has a named seat while the voting happens. Once a cardinal reaches a two-thirds (89) majority vote, he will be elected the new pope.

The Room of Tears

The new pope is ushered into a room where he will don the papal vestments by himself. This small chamber within the chapel is called the Room of Tears, an apparent reference to the tears the new pontiff might shed upon realizing the weight of the papacy that has been put on him.

Above and below: The Room of Tears and the vestments of varying sizes awaiting the new pope. Photos: Vatican Media

From there the new pope will proceed to the balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square, where he will greet the crowds of the faithful who have been waiting for his entrance.

The conclave will begin on Wednesday, May 7. — BM, GMA Integrated News