The April 2 death of Pope John Paul II was an event which not only touched the hearts and lives of over one billion Roman Catholics around the globe, but the entire world as well. The tremendous witness of John Paul II to the people of the world was certainly evident as the international media reported the events of his death, viewing, and funeral in Vatican City. Like most Catholics, the life and death of John Paul II will take us many months to digest.

Although it may seem impossible to imagine a man who can replace Karol Wojtyla as pope, the Church is poised to do just that in the historic week that lies ahead of us! Now that nine days have passed since the funeral of John Paul II, the College of Cardinals will begin meeting in their conclave this Monday, April 18, to elect a new pope. The last time the world witnessed a conclave was in October 1978, when John Paul II had been elected. And only two months before that, John Paul I had been elected in August 1978 to replace Pope Paul VI.

The word "conclave" comes from the Latin phrase "with a key," recalling the medieval days when cardinals would literally be locked up until they could reach a decision on a new pope! In recent times, the College of Cardinals meets in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican complex next door to St. Peter's Basilica. Meeting in several sessions, they will together determine who the new pope will be. There are 117 cardinal electors who are eligible to vote for a new pope. Cardinals are named by a prior pope for this task, but only cardinals under 80 can vote. Since 1939, no conclave has lasted longer than three days.

Where are the present cardinals from? Forty-six are from Western Europe and 12 from Eastern Europe; 21 from Latin America; 14 from North America; 11 from Africa; 11 from Asia; and 2 from Oceania. The countries with the most cardinal electors are Italy (20), United States (11), Germany (6), Spain (6), France (5), Brazil (4), and Mexico (4).

The first day of the conclave, the cardinals will celebrate Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, then process to the Sistine Chapel, take an oath of secrecy, and have one ballot that day only. After Monday, four ballots are cast daily until one candidate is elected by a two-thirds majority. The ballots are burned after each vote, treated with chemicals. Black smoke means no pope elected yet. White smoke means: "Habemus Papum" - Latin for, "We have a pope!" The crowds outside will wait until the new pope is introduced from the balcony, having chosen a name for himself for his upcoming pontificate. The media will spread the word around the world. By next Sunday, we most likely will be praying for the new pope by name in our Eucharistic Prayer, and the Church will enter yet another era in her long journey since that first Easter morning.

For now, let us pray that the Holy Spirit will guide the cardinals, and that our new pope will shepherd us well.

God Bless you always!