After holding their last pre-conclave meeting on Tuesday morning, the cardinals who will elect the next pope had less than a day to weigh their final considerations before effectively going into lockdown and casting their first vote in the conclave.
In the past few days, cardinals have met three times to discuss various challenges in the world and in the Church, and to underline the qualities they believe the new pope ought to have in responding to these challenges.
The final pre-conclave general congregation took place on Tuesday, 6 May, with the rest of the day free, allowing cardinals to move from their current residences to the Vatican’s Saint Martha Guesthouse, essentially a hotel for traveling prelates and other officials where Pope Francis lived, and where they will soon be under lockdown until a new pope is elected.
