VATICAN CITY — On the fifth straight day of deliberations, the Vatican said on Friday that the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church would hold a secret papal ballot “in the first days of next week” on a successor to Benedict XVI, who retired abruptly last month, citing old age and advancing infirmity.
At a news conference, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said the cardinals would vote on the exact schedule at discussions lasting into the early evening on Friday and their decision would be made known to journalists.
The announcement of a date for the papal election would set a firm timetable for the vote within the Christian ecclesiastical calendar. Holy Week begins this year on March 24, Palm Sunday, followed by Easter Sunday on March 31.
Father Lombardi said the conclave would be “in the first days of next week.” Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were all possible but “it could also be Thursday. Nothing is stopping them.”
Six days before his resignation took effect on Feb. 28, Benedict issued an order to the cardinals that they need not wait the traditional 15 to 20 days after the death of a pope to begin the secret balloting process, known as a conclave, a word derived from Latin denoting a lockable room and reflecting the closed and secretive nature of the ballot.
Since Monday, 115 cardinals under age 80 — those who are eligible to participate in the papal balloting — have converged here to prepare for the moment when they enter the Sistine Chapel to begin the conclave.
Despite expectations among Vatican watchers that the cardinals would set the date earlier in the week, the prelates had proceeded cautiously and with deliberation, joining with older cardinals to debate a wide range of issues about the papacy and the challenges facing the church without resolving the question of a date.
The cardinals have been meeting behind closed doors in the Paul VI Hall every day this week, their utterances regarded as potential auditions for those among them regarded as “papabile,” or candidates for pope.
While they have been talking, outsiders have been seized by speculation about the main challengers to succeed Benedict.
There are no clear front-runners, but cardinals hinted earlier in the week that they believe the church needs a compelling communicator who wins souls through his words and his holy bearing, and a fearless sheriff who can tackle the disarray and scandal in the Vatican.
The lag in scheduling the conclave indicated that the cardinals were still at the stage of assessing one another’s personalities, records and ideas, said Father Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, in an earlier news briefing on Thursday, indicating that some preliminary maneuvers were already under way in advance of the formal papal ballot.
The Vatican has well-honed procedures for the conclave, which usually opens with a single round of balloting on its first day after a Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica.
Voting then proceeds — two rounds in the morning and two in the afternoon — until a two-thirds majority of 77 cardinals agree on the new leader for the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics.
Benedict, 85 when he retired, was elected on the fourth round of voting in 2005 — a day after the conclave began — while his predecessor, John Paul II, emerged as pope after a conclave lasting from Oct. 14 to 16, 1978. No conclave since the early 20th century has lasted more than five days.
Daniel J. Wakin reported from Vatican City, and Alan Cowell from London.
At a news conference, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said the cardinals would vote on the exact schedule at discussions lasting into the early evening on Friday and their decision would be made known to journalists.
The announcement of a date for the papal election would set a firm timetable for the vote within the Christian ecclesiastical calendar. Holy Week begins this year on March 24, Palm Sunday, followed by Easter Sunday on March 31.
Father Lombardi said the conclave would be “in the first days of next week.” Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were all possible but “it could also be Thursday. Nothing is stopping them.”
Six days before his resignation took effect on Feb. 28, Benedict issued an order to the cardinals that they need not wait the traditional 15 to 20 days after the death of a pope to begin the secret balloting process, known as a conclave, a word derived from Latin denoting a lockable room and reflecting the closed and secretive nature of the ballot.
Since Monday, 115 cardinals under age 80 — those who are eligible to participate in the papal balloting — have converged here to prepare for the moment when they enter the Sistine Chapel to begin the conclave.
Despite expectations among Vatican watchers that the cardinals would set the date earlier in the week, the prelates had proceeded cautiously and with deliberation, joining with older cardinals to debate a wide range of issues about the papacy and the challenges facing the church without resolving the question of a date.
The cardinals have been meeting behind closed doors in the Paul VI Hall every day this week, their utterances regarded as potential auditions for those among them regarded as “papabile,” or candidates for pope.
While they have been talking, outsiders have been seized by speculation about the main challengers to succeed Benedict.
There are no clear front-runners, but cardinals hinted earlier in the week that they believe the church needs a compelling communicator who wins souls through his words and his holy bearing, and a fearless sheriff who can tackle the disarray and scandal in the Vatican.
The lag in scheduling the conclave indicated that the cardinals were still at the stage of assessing one another’s personalities, records and ideas, said Father Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, in an earlier news briefing on Thursday, indicating that some preliminary maneuvers were already under way in advance of the formal papal ballot.
The Vatican has well-honed procedures for the conclave, which usually opens with a single round of balloting on its first day after a Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica.
Voting then proceeds — two rounds in the morning and two in the afternoon — until a two-thirds majority of 77 cardinals agree on the new leader for the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics.
Benedict, 85 when he retired, was elected on the fourth round of voting in 2005 — a day after the conclave began — while his predecessor, John Paul II, emerged as pope after a conclave lasting from Oct. 14 to 16, 1978. No conclave since the early 20th century has lasted more than five days.
Daniel J. Wakin reported from Vatican City, and Alan Cowell from London.