Following the funeral of Pope Francis, the sede vacante feels heavier than ever in the Vatican. While the activities of the Jubilee 2025 continue and some pilgrimages of the faithful can be seen, the atmosphere in the Via della Conciliazione and its surroundings has changed radically.
Absolutely nothing happens. But everything happens. The pre-conclave meetings have to narrow down the list of candidates and leave a few finalists. But that happens behind closed doors. Outside, the tears for Francis are fading, having moved to the line of faithful in Santa Maria Maggiore.
Ver esta publicación en Instagram
At this time, the cardinals parade through Piazza San Pietro in groups or alone. Some are escorted by police without having requested it, almost as a gesture of courtesy.
Others walk freely, enjoying their last hours before the conclave that will keep them absolutely isolated from the world between the Sistine Chapel and Santa Marta for a few days.
It is precisely these last ones whose walk is interrupted by microphones from media outlets in different countries that ask the only questions that can be asked, but which do not lead to any interesting headlines: "¿What path will the next Pope follow?, ¿Will it be a long conclave? ¿Do you see yourself as having a chance?".
One after another, all the answers converge in emphasizing the power of the Holy Spirit that will guide them to choose the right one. Several minutes can pass like this until the most astute among us gathers courage and asks the most pertinent question: "¿Could you tell us your name?".
The fact is that there are already more than 131 cardinals in Rome, and in recent years we have only heard about a handful, among them the "papabili", but everyone knows that the more of a candidate you are before the conclave, the less chance you have of appearing on the main balcony of St. Peter's Basilica after the fumata bianca.
The feat of chasing the men dressed in black with a red solideo is not only the main activity of journalists. Tourists are experiencing the election of a Pope for the first time with mobile phones with powerful cameras, 5G internet, and social networks. Interestingly, tourists and journalists share the same technological devices in most cases.
The travelers walk around each bishop taking selfies or posing smiling while another takes the photo and video, but they don't even ask their name. Carabinieri do the same. The goal is to have photos with as many cardinals as possible and cross their fingers to see, in a few days if they managed to get the winning ticket.
The only dilemma arises when two bishops are walking in opposite directions at a brisk pace. A quick decision has to be made, and the tourists know what to do: the photo has to be taken with the one who has a face most worthy of a holy card.
