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The Situation Room

Cardinals Procession into the Sistine Chapel. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired May 07, 2025 - 10:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[10:30:00]

ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: Quote/unquote, "inside" in some way, right, who are allowed to be there.

ELISE ALLEN, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: Exactly. The Swiss Guard, of course, you know, their job is to protect the pope, you know, and right now there is no pope, so they're protecting the cardinals, you know, and they're standing guard and watching over the process, you know, the world's smallest army and they don't stand down, you know.

So, they're going to stay there. They're going to keep watch, they're going to keep guard and just wait for the process to unfold like the rest of us.

BURNETT: And there will be, of course, here at the St. Pauline Chapel and --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The Lord who guides our hearts to love and the patience of Christ be with you all and with your spirit.

Venerable brothers, after having celebrated the divine mysteries, we will now enter the conclave to elect the Roman pontiff. The whole church united with us in prayer urgently invokes the grace of the Holy Spirit so that we may elect a worthy shepherd of all the flock of Christ.

May the Lord direct our steps in the path of the truth so that through the intercession of the blessed ever Virgin Mary, of the Holy Apostles, Peter and Paul, and of all the saints, we always do what is pleasing to him.

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[10:35:00]

BURNETT: Right now, we are watching the cardinals, 133 of them, process from the Paul Line to the Sistine Chapel. This procession of the cardinals, 133 of them, a crucial moment in the conclave. They are singing the Litany of Saints. There's over a hundred saints names that they are singing as they do this to seek assistance from the saints, from the Holy Spirit and guidance for selecting a pope.

Christopher Lamb, there are -- I mean, how many, do we even know, how many saints' names that they are singing during this walk from one chapel to the other?

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're going right back to Abraham, Moses, John the Baptist. They're listing the church -- saints of the early church, Peter and Paul, Andrew, also Mary Magdalene, St. Lucy, St. Bartholomew, St. Matthew. So, sort of seeking to connect this experience with the first Christians in their deliberation. So, I think that's quite significant and powerful.

BURNETT: A profound moment. And they are processing, of course, in an order here of most junior to most senior. Then when they take their oath of silence, that will be in the opposite order, right, from the most senior to the most junior led of course by Cardinal Parolin, the Italian cardinal, who is leading much of this.

LAMB: Yes, he is the most senior cardinal bishop who is under the age of 80. So, he will be presiding at the conclave. We saw him leading the first prayers there. So, yes, he will be having an important role here.

BURNETT: The distance to have a sense, and I know, you know when you go through the Vatican and you see the Sistine Chapel, it's hard for us all to remember, if you've been lucky enough to do it. What is the distance that they're actually walking here right now from the Paul Line Chapel to the Sistine Chapel?

LAMB: Well, not much more than about 50 meters, I would say. It's a very short walk. But obviously, there's enough time with which to -- for all of them to go through and to also sing these prayers.

BURNETT: To sing all the saints names. There's a lot of names that they want to get through.

LAMB: They're going to get through a lot of names and they've all got to sit down in their places and we could see them bowing in front of the altar of the Sistine Chapel, which, of course, has the famous fresco by Michelangelo, The Last Judgment, which is kind of an awesome sight when you are casting your vote. That kind of concentrates the mind, I think.

BURNETT: Truly one can only imagine. Elise, this is -- we are here in -- outside the Vatican, outside St. Peter's Basilica, I'm sure on our microphones, those watching can also hear. It is being broadcast to all the people here in the square what's happening inside. And those are Vatican cameras, which are allowing us to present this to the world. They will have cameras in there for the oath, a collective oath, and then an individual oath. And then what happens? They leave. It essentially goes dark. All cameras leave?

ALLEN: Yes. So, this process is secret. It is supposed to be cut off from the world. So, as you know, they have jamming devices, you know, and signal blockers in here. They're not going to have cell phone access. There's not going to be access to anything that can be a distraction or an outside influence.

So, after the swearing of those oaths, you know, the (INAUDIBLE), basically everybody out, you know, is proclaimed, you know, who's not a voter in this conclave. And the doors of the Sistine Chapel will be shut and the conclave will begin. So, it's -- and then they're basically on lockdown until we have a new pope.

BURNETT: And the leader here will be Cardinal Parolin from Italy. He is 70. He is also seen as perhaps the leading contender to be the next pope, although we shall see. There are 15 to 20 of these men that are perceived as front runners. One of them in these next days will walk out of St. Peter's Basilica, on the balcony behind where we are sitting as the next pope. And that is the reality, the solemn reality that they go in as cardinals, one of them will come out a pope.

Let's listen in as these prayers continue and they prepare for the oath of silence.

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[10:40:00]

BURNETT: So, we are hearing the prayers, sung prayers as they're proceeding into the Sistine Chapel, where you see the cardinals taking their seats. Father Beck, they know the momentousness of this. Each bowing before the altar as they turn and head to their seats, each of them labeled in order of seniority, Father Beck.

All right. So, I apologize. Father Beck was not able to hear us there. Christopher, can you tell me the book that they are each walking by here? Do we know exactly what that is?

LAMB: That's where I believe they'll be making their oaths, which they will do individually and collectively. The oaths, of course, is to say that they will protect the secrecy of the conclave, the rules of the conclave, and they will also swear if one of them is elected to defend the right and the freedom of the Holy Sea. That's the oath they're going to make and they're going to say that they do it as they place their hands on the gospels.

BURNETT: And when we talk about an oath of secrecy, Father Beck, it is at the threat of excommunication, if they were ever to share any information about what's happening during the conclave or even after, when we know who the pope is, who was the runner up, who else did well, anybody sharing that information could lose their position in the church altogether.

FATHER EDWARD BECK, CNN RELIGION CONTRIBUTOR: That is true, Erin. but isn't it interesting that somehow, we do know some of what happened in past enclaves? For example, we do know what the voting was last time between Pope Francis and his runner up and even before that with Pope Benedict. So, somehow the information slips out and someone doesn't keep that oath of secrecy, and we necessarily don't know who that is.

But yes, for the most part, this oath of secrecy is very serious for them. And they also make an oath to vote freely, that they don't have any outside influences in indicating to them or forcing them or persuading them in any way to vote for a particular candidate. And I think that's important because then when they have their ballot in their hand and they kneel at the altar, they swear individually, I swear I will vote for the one I believe should be elected.

So, that means that they're saying in their heart, whomever they have written on that ballot, that's who they believe should be the next pope. So, they really have to take that seriously because there's a few oaths here, and I think that they do take it seriously. But obviously, with any kind of gathering like this, some of the information slips out and journalists eventually want to know, and we do, in fact, find out.

[10:45:00]

BURNETT: Yes. And I know they had said that the conclave before Pope Francis was selected, that he had done, then Bergoglio done very well in the conclave prior to the one in which he was selected as pope.

We are going to take a very brief break. When we come back, one of the most profound moments here will be the singing of the Creator Spiritus Hymn and then the swearing of the oaths of secrecy. Our special coverage continues after this brief break.

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[10:50:00]

BURNETT: You are listening to the prayers here at the conclave. We are just outside. You can also hear over the loudspeaker for the crowds here in St. Peters Square the prayers of the cardinals, preparing to take the oath of silence.

We are joined also by Monsignor Bartholomew Smith. Monsignor, we are listening to this in Latin, and all of what we are about to hear will be in Latin, which is of course nearly a thousand year tradition for the Catholic Church, but fascinating as they take these oaths to hear so many cardinals who speak different languages, all speaking in Latin.

MSGR. K. BARTHOLOMEW SMITH, SAINT BERNADETTE CATHOLIC CHURCH: With the different accents that reveal where they're from, that's always true. The cardinal camerlengo has a strong Irish accent. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who actually was a priest here in Washington for many years. But his Latin is just as effective as Cardinal Parolin, who's from Northern Italy.

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[10:55:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Let us pray. Our father who guide and guard your church, give your servants the spirit of intelligence, of truth, of peace, so that they strive to know your will and serve you with total dedication through Christ our Lord. Amen.

We, the cardinal electors present in this election of the Supreme Plaintiff promise, pledge, and to swear as individuals and as a group to observe faithfully and scrupulously the prescriptions contained in the apostolic constitution of the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II. Universi Dominici Gregis published on the 22nd of February in the year of our Lord, 1996.

We likewise promise, pledge, and swear that whichever of us by divine disposition is elected Roman pontiff will commit himself faithfully to carrying out the minos petrum (ph).

We promise, pledge, and swear that whichever of us, by divine disposition, is elected Roman pontiff will commit himself faithfully to carrying out the munos petrinum (ph) of pastor of the Universal Church and will not fail to affirm and defend strenuously the spiritual and temporal rights and the liberty of the Holy Sea.

In a particular way, we promise and swear to observe with the greatest fidelity and with all persons, clerical or lay, secrecy regarding everything that in any way relates to the election of the Roman pontiff and regarding what occurs in the place of the election directly or indirectly related to the results of the voting.

We promise and swear not to break the secret in any way, either during or after the election of the new pontiff unless explicit authorization is granted by the same pontiff, and never to lend support or favor to any interference, opposition, or any other form of intervention, whether by secular authorities or whatever order and degree of any group of people or individuals might wish to intervene in the election of the Roman pontiff.

[11:00:00]