KARACHI: Cardinal Joseph Coutts from Pakistan will participate in the election of a new pope following the passing of Pope Francis.
As per the media report, Cardinal Joseph Coutts, a member of the Roman Catholic Church, hails from Karachi. He served as the Archbishop of Karachi before being appointed as a cardinal.
Cardinal Joseph Coutts, along with 135 cardinals from around the world, will gather in Vatican City to elect the new pope.
Cardinal Joseph stated that the process of electing a new pope will begin after Pope Francis’ funeral. He noted that Pope Francis had a long-standing lung condition but continued his duties, even delivering a message on Easter.
For the papal election, cardinals under the age of 80 assemble in the Vatican in a meeting called a conclave.
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Reports says that the election takes place in the Sistine Chapel, where each cardinal takes an oath to keep the process confidential and casts a secret ballot.
Voting continues until a candidate gets two-thirds of the votes. After each round, the ballot papers are burned with special chemicals, creating black or white smoke that can be seen from St. Peter’s Square.
Black smoke from the chimney shows that no pope has been chosen, while white smoke means a new pope has been elected.
It should be noted that Pope Francis, the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church, has died at the age of 88. Born in Buenos Aires as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, he was the first Latin American to lead the Roman Catholic Church.
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World leaders, including former US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Britain’s King Charles, Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, expressed condolences over his passing.
Pope Francis was known for promoting peace between Islam and Christianity. He strongly condemned incidents of Quran desecration in Sweden. He also supported the end of the war in Gaza.
During his 12-year leadership, he faced several health issues. Recently discharged from the hospital after treatment, he had met with people on Easter.
His death marks the end of an era for the Catholic Church. Cardinals, including Pakistan’s Cardinal Joseph Coutts, will now gather to elect a new Pope.” These changes enhance the clarity and flow of the text while maintaining the original meaning.
