Vatican City – all the Vatican staff who will be involved in the 2025 Conclave To choose the successor to Pope Francis’ fire – Cooks to cooks and guards – took an oath of secret. The punishment for having disclosed information on the former ritual of the Catholic Church is immediate excommunication.
The 133 cardinal voters responsible for elect the next pontiff took an oath on Wednesday, inside the Sistine Chapel, as the Conclave officially started.
In the previous days, they were seen to enter and get out of meetings to discuss the merits of men among their own ranks – including someone could be chosen as next pope, the chief of the 1.4 billion Catholics of the world.
Among the problems that differentiate the Alleged founders For work, there are extremely controversial subjects for Catholics, including exactly How far the church must open its doors – If necessary – to people like Andrea Rubera, her husband and their three children.
Simone resolved / getty
Rubera, who has been in his same sex relationship for years, told CBS News that “when Pope Francis died, I cried”.
Ten years ago, Rubera and her husband struggled so that they could raise their Catholic children. Then he received a phone call.
“So I answered, and it was:” Mr. Rubera, are you busy right now, because I see that you are, you are not answering my calls, and it is Pope Francis. “”
He recalled his surprise when the late pontiff asked him if he could take the time to speak. He did it, and Francis encouraged the couple to behave like any other Catholic family. Rubera said that he feared that the next pope is not as eager to welcome him and his family in the church.
“My personal fear is that our lives, our families, our rights, could be … canceled,” he said.
Another big problem to which the next pope will be the role of women in the church. There has been a fierce debate in the Catholic community for years if women should be allowed to become deacons, and possibly even priests. This door, even during the relatively progressive reign of Pope Francis, remained firmly closed.
But Kate Mcelwee, executive director of the conference on the ordination of women, told CBS News that “on this question, women will not wait much longer”.
“There is certainly a tilting point that we face,” she said, predicting that if the Catholic Church does not offer new opportunities soon, “I think women will vote with their feet-they will no longer participate in the life of the Church.”
When the new pope is chosen Behind the closed doors of the conclave, he will adopt his chosen papal name, then will be taken to an anti -chamber in the Sistine Chapel to put his papal white dresses.
This adjustment room is called “The Stanza Delle Lacrime”, or, in English, “The Room of Tears” – for all the popes that have cried over the centuries while the gravity of their call flows.
Chris Livesay
