Cardinal predicts next week's conclave 'will be short'
LONDON -- Preparations for the papal conclave next Wednesday are ramping up at the Vatican as workers begin to install the ceremonial chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel. White smoke from the chimney signals to the world when the 267th pope has been chosen.
The "conclave will be short," Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chávez of El Salvador told ABC News, adding that he's looking for a "Francis 2."
"I think there is a consensus ... the vision is very clear what kind of pope we need in the church and for the world," he said. "That is why I think the conclave will be very short, two or three days."
Chávez, 82, is not eligible to vote in the conclave, but has been present inside this week’s general congregations where front-runners have begun to emerge.
Most of the world's cardinals have already arrived in Vatican City where they have near daily meetings called general congregations in the period leading up to the conclave, a crucial time where they get to spend time together and know each other better as cardinals make speeches and discuss what it is exactly they want in the next pope.
Cardinals have not yet been sequestered, so many can be seen leaving their meetings and walking out onto St. Peter’s Square among the public, with some even posting on social media, like Cardinal Timothy Dolan from New York has been posting daily updates and giving people an inside look into the ancient traditions of the church.
In total, 133 cardinals will be voting during this conclave, the most electors ever, with 108 of them being appointed by Pope Francis. Ten are from the United States.
When conclave starts next week, all of the cardinals will take an oath of secrecy before beginning to vote twice daily, two times in the morning and two times in the evening, and will continue voting until two-thirds of the cardinals have agreed on a pope.
The ballots are burned after each vote and the smoke will emanate from the chimney that is being built on top of the Sistine Chapel. Black smoke means a majority has not been reached and the voting will continue. White smoke means a new holy leader of the Roman Catholic Church has been confirmed.
Many Vatican watchers are already publishing their lists of papabili -- cardinals who are favored to be the next pope -- and these lists are being heavily scrutinized as people consider if they are conservative, liberal, and even where they are from and what qualities they could bring to the church.
Ultimately, nobody really has any idea except for the 133 cardinals who are participating in the conclave. Beyond that, it truly is anyone’s guess.
ABC News' Maggie Rulli contributed to this report.
