UPDATE: Cardinal Robert Prevost, who was raised in Chicago, has been elected as the first-ever American Pope of the Catholic Church. Details here.
A new pope has been chosen, but before his name is announced, there are some steps that must be taken.
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WATCH HEREAccording to the rules and traditions for the election of popes, inside the Sistine Chapel, measures must be followed in the lead-up to the new pope's introduction to the world.
First, the elected pope will be asked two questions.
The senior cardinal bishop, currently Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the 70-year-old secretary of state under Pope Francis and a leading contender to succeed him, is slated to ask the chosen cardinal, in Latin:
1. “Do you accept your canonical election as supreme pontiff?”
2. “By what name do you wish to be called?”
It's not clear who will ask these questions if Parolin is the chosen cardinal.
Once the first question is answered affirmatively, the cardinal has officially become the new pope. The moment will also mark the end of the conclave.
The second question will make their first act as pope by choosing a name.
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SIGN UP Master of ceremonies Archbishop Diego Giovanni Ravelli then enters the information on a formal document.
The choice of name could be interpreted as an indicator of the kind of pontificate the new pope intends to have, though experts caution against reading too far into it.
The 'Room of Tears'
After the questions are asked and answered, the new pope is led into the small sacristy behind the Last Judgment wall, known in Italian as the “room of tears” because some newly elected popes, overwhelmed by their election, broke down in there and wept.
White papal cassocks in various sizes sit inside and a selection closest to fitting the new pope will be chosen, with some quick alterations possible.
Homage of the cardinal-electors
The newly vested pope then returns into the Sistine Chapel to receive the homage of the cardinal-electors and say a prayer of thanksgiving (usually the Te Deum).
This is also when the pope receives his Fisherman’s Ring.
