The Church Under Attack

The story’s escalating external crisis transforms the election from a secluded contest into a public test of leadership and faith.

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A City on Alert

A City on Alert Security at the gates Lomeli sees police, soldiers, helicopters, and protesters gathering around Vatican City. The measures reflect an acknowledged threat of terrorism, although the electors are still expected to follow a closed ritual. A world beyond the walls The competing demonstrations expose the Church’s public divisions. The Conclave begins not in isolation from conflict, but enclosed within a city already expressing it.

The First Blast

The First Blast Shattered windows A nearby explosion breaks the Sistine Chapel’s windows while Lomeli is at the altar. Security personnel try to enter, but he insists that the electors remain in the chapel. Ritual under threat The cardinals pray and resume voting. Their decision to continue preserves the election procedure even as the sound of sirens makes their claimed seclusion increasingly unreal.

A Coordinated Attack

A Coordinated Attack Multiple targets Bombings and shootings strike near the Vatican, at San Marco Evangelista, the Catholic University of Louvain, and the Frauenkirche in Munich. The attacks cause deaths and many injuries. A crisis of meaning Officials fear a deliberate assault on the Church at the moment it has no new leader. The electors must decide whether knowledge of the violence should affect their deliberations.

News Reaches the Electors

News Reaches the Electors A procedural question Lomeli asks the electors to authorize disclosure, and a majority votes to hear the facts. The decision recognizes that secrecy cannot be treated as an absolute when lives have been lost. A public duty The news forces the cardinals to consider how silence might look outside the walls. Benítez argues that continuing their private rivalries would betray the people seeking leadership.

A Procession of Resolve

A Procession of Resolve Walking together Many electors walk from Casa Santa Marta to the Sistine Chapel, singing the Veni Creator. News footage of their procession reaches pilgrims gathering in St Peter’s Square. A visible answer The march conveys unity before the vote has produced a Pope. For Lomeli, the shared act helps make acceptance of any outcome feel possible.

The afternoon the electors arrive

During the seventh ballot, on the third day

Late morning on the third day

After the seventh ballot, before the lunch break

Immediately before the eighth ballot