Skip to main content

Conclave tick tock: How cardinals' day will unfold

By Richard Allen Greene, CNN
updated 2:44 PM EDT, Wed March 13, 2013
Pope Francis, the Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, appears on the St. Peter's Basilica's balcony after being elected the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church on Wednesday, March 13, at the Vatican. Pope Francis, the Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, appears on the St. Peter's Basilica's balcony after being elected the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church on Wednesday, March 13, at the Vatican.
HIDE CAPTION
Vatican prepares to choose a pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Photos: Vatican prepares to choose a pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
Vatican chooses a new pope
<<
<
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
>
>>
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Cardinals convene for a second day of the papal conclave on Wednesday
  • There are two votes in the morning, unless someone is elected on the first ballot
  • There are another two votes held in the Sistine Chapel in the afternoon
  • If no pope is elected today the black smoke will appear around 7p.m. local time

Rome (CNN) -- Cardinals tasked with electing the next pope convene for a second day of the papal conclave on Wednesday. Here is how their day will unfold. (All smoke timings are approximate)

Live blog: Picking a new pope

6:30 a.m. (1:30 a.m. ET)

Cardinals wake up and have breakfast in Santa Marta, their residence at the Vatican for the duration of the conclave.

7:45 a.m. (2:45 a.m. ET)

Cardinals move from Santa Marta to the nearby Pauline Chapel

8:15 a.m. (3:15 a.m. ET)

Cardinals celebrate Mass inside Pauline Chapel

Anticipation and ancient conclave rituals
Sex abuse settlement during conclave
How secure are Vatican's secrets?
Day 1 of conclave: Puffs of black smoke

9:30 a.m. (4:30 a.m. ET)

Cardinals enter Sistine Chapel, pray the liturgy of the hours and proceed to vote. Two votes in the morning (unless someone is elected on the first ballot)

If they elect a pope in the first morning ballot, there will be white smoke around 10:30 a.m. local (5:30 a.m. ET)

If they elect a pope in the second morning ballot, there will be white smoke around noon local. (7 a.m. ET)

If they do not elect a pope in the morning session, there will be black smoke around noon local (7 a.m. ET)

12 p.m. (7 a.m. ET)

Cardinals return to Santa Marta for lunch.

4 p.m. (11 a.m. ET)

Cardinals return to the Sistine Chapel and resume voting

If they elect a pope in the first afternoon ballot, there will be white smoke around 5:30 p.m. (12:30 p.m. ET). The white smoke for Benedict XVI came at 5:50 p.m. (12:50 p.m. ET)

If they elect a pope in the second afternoon ballot, there will be white smoke around 7 p.m. (2 p.m. ET)

If they do not elect a pope in the afternoon session, there will be black smoke around 7 p.m. (2 p.m. ET)

7 p.m. (2 p.m. ET)

Cardinals recite the Vesper Prayers in the Sistine Chapel.

7:30 p.m. (2:30 p.m. ET)

Cardinals return to Santa Marta.

8 p.m. (3 p.m. ET)

Cardinals have dinner.

ADVERTISEMENT
Part of complete coverage on
updated 5:59 AM EDT, Wed April 3, 2013
On Easter Sunday, Pope Francis kisses and hugs disabled boy lifted up in the crowd.
updated 12:09 PM EDT, Thu April 11, 2013
With the new pope himself a trained scientist, could the timing could be right for a new era of cooperation between the Vatican and science?
updated 5:22 AM EDT, Mon April 8, 2013
A new pope may be a positive development in many ways. CNN's Jim Bittermann reports on the economic effect he brings.
updated 8:45 AM EDT, Sat April 6, 2013
Jake Tapper talks to Father Edward Beck about Pope Francis' vow to act against sex abuse within the Catholic Church.
updated 8:06 AM EDT, Thu March 28, 2013
Pope Francis has decided not to move into the papal apartment used by Benedict XVI and others before him.
updated 10:10 AM EDT, Sun March 31, 2013
Pope Francis leads his first Easter celebrations with a Mass marking Easter Sunday -- the holiest day in the Christian calendar.
updated 5:20 PM EDT, Tue April 2, 2013
A disabled boy in St. Peter's Square was lifted into the arms of the pope. His mother describes the beautiful moment.
updated 2:40 PM EDT, Sat March 23, 2013
Pope Francis had lunch with predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI -- the first such encounter in history of the Roman Catholic Church.
updated 12:41 AM EDT, Sun March 17, 2013
He's the first Jesuit and the first Latin American in modern times to lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics. But in some ways, he's just a normal guy.
updated 2:56 PM EDT, Sat March 16, 2013
Pope Francis is being painted as a humble and simple man, but his past is tinged with controversy.
updated 2:55 PM EDT, Tue March 19, 2013
It was with a call for the protection of the weakest in society that Francis was officially inaugurated as the Catholic Church's 266th pontiff.
updated 4:13 PM EDT, Thu March 14, 2013
While all eyes were on Rome for the election of a new pope, for Catholics, the importance of the event went beyond an impressive spectacle.
updated 4:21 AM EDT, Thu March 14, 2013
Click through our gallery to see photos of the celebrations after a new pope was announced.
updated 7:51 AM EDT, Thu March 14, 2013
The election of a pope from Latin America shows the emerging influence of the region in the Catholic church and the world.
updated 10:09 AM EDT, Thu March 14, 2013
One of the first questions many people ask when they start a new job is: What type of car will I get?
updated 7:55 AM EDT, Thu March 14, 2013
Call him Pope Francis, the pontiff of firsts.
updated 7:58 AM EDT, Thu March 14, 2013
Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina is known as a humble man, a capable administrator and -- as expected of a new pope -- a man of great faith.
updated 1:25 PM EDT, Thu March 14, 2013
Catholic faithful from Latin America cheered the historic election of the first pope from the region Wednesday.
updated 8:01 AM EDT, Thu March 14, 2013
Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina, the new pope, is breaking historic ground by choosing the name Francis.
updated 6:41 PM EDT, Thu March 14, 2013
St. Francis of Assisi, after whom Pope Francis has taken his name, captures the spirit of many Catholics.
ADVERTISEMENT