From Mourning to Mission
Rome’s Second General Congregation moves the Church a decisive step closer to the next pope
What happened on Wednesday, April 23?
After the Veni, Sancte Spiritus was chanted in the new Synod Hall, 103 cardinals—nearly double Tuesday’s turnout—took their oaths of secrecy and got to work. They:
finalized the full Novendiales schedule, the nine-day cycle of funeral-Masses that will begin with Saturday’s requiem for Pope Francis and run through 4 May.
welcomed late-arriving members who then swore the interregnum oath;
designated the first trio of cardinals to oversee daily Vatican governance during the sede vacante;
confirmed that 135 electors will be eligible to vote—already 15 above the traditional 120-cardinal cap that Francis lifted.
The brief afternoon meeting ended at 6:30 p.m. local time. A third congregation convenes Thursday at 9 a.m. as more red hats land in Rome.
Why this gathering eclipses every other headline
It determines the conclave clock. As soon as every elector is present, the cardinals can vote to open balloting—potentially as early as 6 May, the fifteenth day after Francis’ death.
It shapes the election’s agenda. Interventions touched on curial reform, synodality, war-time diplomacy, and evangelization in a secular West—topics sure to frame private discussions and, soon, ballots.
Its decisions are irreversible. A papal funeral draws crowds for a day; a papal election steers 1.4 billion Catholics for decades.
Voices inside the hall – emerging themes
Complete the reforms. Several speakers urged finishing financial and personnel overhauls launched under Francis.
Synodality vs. stability. Some called the next pope a guardian of the synodal path; others stressed healing after contentious debates.
Global flashpoints. Ukraine, Gaza, and the Sahel surfaced repeatedly as tests for Vatican diplomacy.
Re-evangelizing the West. European and U.S. cardinals pressed for creative outreach beyond institutional maintenance.
What happens next?
Saturday 26 April – Funeral Mass (10 a.m. Rome). Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re will preside before Francis is laid to rest in the Basilica of St Mary Major.
26 Apr – 4 May – Daily Novendiales Masses. Each day at 17:00, a different cardinal will celebrate; public briefings after each congregation will hint at the conclave timetable.
General congregations continue every morning at 9 a.m. Once all electors have arrived, the body will set the conclave’s start date by secret ballot.
Beatifications on hold. In keeping with interregnum norms, the cardinals suspended all beatification ceremonies until a new pope confirms them.
Why it matters to you
The Church’s sacramental life never pauses, but its global compass soon will be handed to a new Successor of Peter. Your prayers and fasting now—echoing centuries of Catholic practice—can help the electors listen to the Holy Spirit.
Prayer for the Conclave
Come, Holy Spirit, Spirit of wisdom and counsel; guide the College of Cardinals in choosing a shepherd after Your own Heart, so that the Gospel may be proclaimed and the poor raised up. Amen.