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On October 26, 1958, one of the More Rocambolescas stories Around al smoke that announces The choice of a new Pope. That morning, smoke appeared clearly white leaving the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, and the crowd gathered in the Plaza de San Pedro exploded in jubilation. However, shortly after the smoke became dark, and the faces became disbelief. That confusion stressed the need to improve the clarity of the signal and not leave everything in Holy Spirit hands.
A choice between the human and the divine. When the cardinals today enter the Sistine Chapel for Start the conclave, will invoke the Holy Spirit With the song Veni Creator Spiritusan ancestral prayer that summarizes the tension between human reason and spiritual discernment. In Catholic theology, the Holy Spirit It is one of the three people of the Trinity and is considered the true guide of this process.
Although the election of the Pope involves politics, strategy and human relations, it also presents itself as a Cooperation with the Divine. Some describe it as a silent presence that guides, does not impose, as a “good educator”, As Benedict XVI saidthat inspires, but does not make decisions for men. Some of it remains in the essence of the final announcement through the white smoke. One thing seems clear: the Church rejects any technification of the moment.
The conclave that confused everyone. The unusual scene that we commented at the beginning should choose the successor of Pope Pius XII. That day, during one of the votes, it appeared clearly white smokeHabemus Papam, or so they thought. The people gathered in San Pedro shouted for joy, the bells of the Basilica began to repair and some media came to announce the choice.
However, minutes passed, then hours, without the official announcement or the new Pontiff appeared. Finally, the Vatican clarified that he had tried to An error: The white smoke had been the product of incomplete combustion or a poorly calculated mixture, and in reality the consensus necessary to choose potatoes had not yet been reached. The confusion made it clear that some things had to be improved, something that the Vatican corrected in part over time and, since 2005, with the accompaniment of the bell repique to confirm the choice.
The language of smoke. It is part of the ritual: every time the Catholic Church chooses a new Pope, millions of people look towards the small chimney from the Sistine Chapel Waiting for the signal: Black smoke if there is no agreement, white smoke if the successor has been chosen. What seems like a simple symbolic gesture is, in reality, a Extremely precise operation and loaded with engineering, chemistry, symbolism and tradition.
Burning ballots and the use of smoke as a form of communication They date back to the fifteenth centurywhen a way to transmit the result of the choice without breaking the secret of the conclave. The image of smoke ascending to heaven evokes ancient religious and biblical rites, where smoke was understood as a spiritual bridge between the human and the divine.
Preparations and technology. After the Death of Pope Francis At 88, the Vatican confirmed that The conclave It would begin today May 7 with a special mass in San Pedro, followed by secret votes in the Sistine Chapel. There have been installed Two stoves: One to burn ballots and another to generate the visible smoke.
These stoves are connected through A metallic ductcarefully assembled and inserted by technicians who work without damaging the Renaissance structure of the chapel. Each tube union is sealed, previous smoke tests are carried out and firefighters are available in alert in case any technical failure occurs. Everything must work without error margin: an escape or an ambiguous signal would turn the liturgical act into a global crisis broadcast live.
The 1958 example does not forget.
The chemistry of the message. To ensure that the world clearly sees what happens within the conclave, smoke is not exclusive product of ballot combustion. The BBC counted that chemical compounds packaged and electronically activated are used. To generate black smoke, potassium, anthracene and sulfur perchlorate is mixed, and for white, potassium, lactose and pine resin is used.
In the past He tried with wet and dry strawbut the results were inconsistent. Since 2005, the Vatican also sounds like those bells of San Pedro to visually and loudly confirm that a new pontiff has been chosen, avoiding confusion such as those that have occurred in the past.
Negative to modernize. The truth is that the system could be much easier if the Church would like to take advantage of some of the new technologies. However, despite the advances and suggestions of implementing colored lights, digital alerts or more modern electronic systems, the Vatican insists on Keep the ritual as it is.
If you want and from your perspective, for your excellence it is not just about communicating a news, but about preserving a liturgical experience with deep theological burden. As The historian Candida Moss explainedthe smoke not only informs: it incorporates the faithful to the mystery, makes them feel participants of a transcendental moment in the life of the Church. The papal choice is not (alone) an administrative event, but a ceremony full of centuries of faith, solemnity and spiritual continuity.
Image | blues_brotherWikimedia
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