A fresh breeze is blowing over Rome this morning.
Here at the Vatican, people continue to gather ahead of the conclave.
The Mass ahead of the conclave is being celebrated within St Peter’s Basilica and followed by people in the square, thanks to four giant screens set up near the colonnades.
An influx of faithful is expected later this evening, around the time of the first vote. For now, though, the atmosphere is quiet.
As hymns ring out from speakers, seagulls mill about the cobblestones.
Who is Giovanni Battista Re, the Dean of the College of Cardinals?
Following Pope’s Francis’s funeral last month, the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re summoned cardinals to the Vatican to elect the new pope – the process known as the conclave.
Re presides over the Mass being celebrated this morning in St Peter’s Basilica ahead of the election of the new pope. He also led the Pope’s funeral.
Re was born on 30 January 1934 in the Italian commune of Borno, in Brescia. According to his Vatican biography, the 91-year-old holds a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and was ordained priest in 1957.
He then entered the Holy See’s diplomatic service, during which he was posted to Panama and Iran. In 2001, Pope John Paul II proclaimed him a cardinal.
He was elected as dean of the College of Cardinals in 2020, and Pope Francis extended his term in February this year.
He participated in the conclave of April 2005, which elected Pope Benedict XVI and in the conclave of March 2013, which elected Pope Francis.
The cardinal leading the Mass before the conclave, Giovanni Battista Re, has called on his peers to choose a leader who can guide the Catholic Church during what he calls a “difficult and complex” point in time.
“This is a strong call to maintain the unity of the Church… a unity that does not mean uniformity, but a firm and profound communion in diversity,” he said during Mass.
The 91-year-old Re is too old to vote in the conclave. Voters need to be under the age of 80.
He emphasised that the vote was of “exceptional importance” and that cardinals needed to set aside “every personal consideration”. (BBC)
