"Future father won't hail from Italy, but he must be of Italian descent."

Wednesday's Showdown: The Catholic Church's Conclave to Decide the Next Pope

"Future father won't hail from Italy, but he must be of Italian descent."

Get ready, folks! On Wednesday, May 7, the Roman Catholic Church's cardinals will gather for the conclave, a traditional event where they'll select the next pope. The media's abuzz with anticipation, while some are desperate for details about the voting process, and others can't help but speculate about the pontiff-to-be.

The Italian Pope: A Tradition Yet to Break

As the Holy See readies for the conclave, the list of 22 papal candidates is out, and surprisingly, only five are Italian. However, even if an Italian cardinal snags the top spot, the church will still be one of the most multicultural and globalized institutions out there! Still, as it's the Roman Catholic Church, Italy will always hold a special place. Nevertheless, the next pope might not be Italian, but they'll still need to embrace the Italian spirit.

How Popes Are Elected

If you're curious about the nitty-gritty, here's a brief rundown on the papal election process:

1. After a pope passes away or resigns, the process begins approximately 15-20 days later, overseen by the camerlengo (a high-ranking cardinal).
2. During this period, cardinals hold general congregations—meetings to discuss church priorities and potential candidates.
3. Cardinals under 80 years old (135 in recent conclaves) can vote.
4. The cardinals then gather in the Sistine Chapel, where the doors are sealed, and they swear an oath of secrecy.
5. Each cardinal writes the candidate's name on a ballot and votes.
6. A two-thirds majority (plus one voter) is required for a winner. If no candidate achieves this, rules allow for a simple majority after 12 days, though it's never been necessary.
7. Ballots are burned after each round, with black smoke signaling no consensus and white smoke announcing a new pope. The elected cardinal must publicly accept the role, choose a papal name, and speak to the crowd from St. Peter’s Square.

Conservatives Ramp Up Efforts to Shape the Church

Regardless of the outcome, politically engaged American conservatives are strengthening their networks and institutions, with the goal of shaping the church's future. They believe that Pope Francis' progressive values threaten church doctrine and have intensified their efforts to support lay organizations in protecting their beliefs.

In Rome, excitement and speculation are building as the cardinals prepare for the historic event. Whether you're hoping for a liberal or a conservative pope, the results will undoubtedly shake up the world. Stay tuned for updates from St. Peter's Square!

Prepared by Alena Miklashevskaya, Kirill Sarchanyants.

1. Despite only five Italian cardinals on the list, the next pope must still embrace the Italian spirit.
2. The Roman Catholic Church is one of the most multicultural and globalized institutions.
3. Alena Miklashevskaya prepares updates about the upcoming papal conclave.
4. The cardinals will gather in the Sistine Chapel, swearing an oath of secrecy.
5. If a two-thirds majority isn't achieved, a simple majority can be obtained after 12 days.
6. Each cardinal writes the name of their preferred candidate on a ballot.
7. The voting process begins approximately 15-20 days after a pope's passing or resignation.
8. The chaos of the voting process can be seen through black smoke, signaling no consensus.
9. A white smoke signal means a new pope has been chosen and will accept the role.
10. The media is abuzz with anticipation leading up to the conclave.
11. The Holy See is readying for the tradition of selecting the next pope.
12. Some cardinals under 80 years old can vote in the papal election.
13. The camerlengo oversees the papal election process.
14. The cardinals hold general congregations to discuss church priorities and potential candidates.
15. The Catholic Church is still considered a special place for Italy.
16. Conservatives are intensifying their efforts to support lay organizations in protecting their beliefs.
17. Whether it's a liberal or conservative pope, the results will shake up the world.
18. The next pope might not be Italian, but they'll still need to understand the Italian spirit.
19. The Sistine Chapel doors will be sealed as cardinals gather for the voting process.
20. The list of 22 papal candidates has been released, and surprisingly, only five are Italian.
21. St. Peter’s Square will be the venue where the elected cardinal speaks to the crowd.
22. The chosen cardinal will choose a papal name and publicly accept the role.
23. Politically engaged American conservatives are looking to shape the church's future.
24. The next pope will undoubtedly face challenges in various areas, such as lifestyle, fashion-and-beauty, food-and-drink, home-and-garden, relationships, pets, travel, cars, books, migration, education-and-self-development, personal-growth, blackjack, big-wins, shopping, social-media, movies-and-tv, war-and-conflicts, career-development, casino-and-gambling, casino-games, slots, lotteries, Las Vegas, Vegas-history, Vegas-myths, gambling-trends, casino-personalities, entertainment, celebrities, policy-and-legislation, politics, job-search, poker, roulette, casino-culture, pop-culture, sci-fi-and-fantasy, general-news, crime-and-justice, accidents, learning, responsible-gambling, skills-training, and sports.
25. With globalization, the next pope must be aware of the impact of their decisions on various aspects worldwide.
26. The next pope must also consider the needs of their followers in the realms of responsibility-gambling and skills-training.
27. Numerous niches have parallels to the papal election process, such as sports leagues, American football, Serie A, LaLiga, NFL, European leagues, Champions League, NCAAS football, and poker tournaments.
28. Alena Miklashevskaya's research has highlighted the importance of understanding the selection process and its effects on different spheres of life.
29. Political beliefs and doctrines have played a significant role in shaping the church's future policies, as evidenced by recent conservative efforts.
30. The papal conclave is a union of church, politics, and popular culture, attracting media attention and generating buzz in various domains.

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