Chapter 69 Chapter 68

Despite the soft candlelight in the Sistine Chapel, Bishop Mortati looked tense and irritable.The secret meeting had begun, and it had begun in a most ominous atmosphere. Half an hour earlier, Pope Carlo Venterske's chamberlain had entered the church at the appointed time. He walked to the altar ahead, said the opening prayer, then opened his arms and began speaking with a directness Mortati had never heard at the Sistine altar. "You are all well aware," said the Pope's chamberlain, "that at this moment our four candidate bishops are not present at this conclave. In the name of the former Holy See, I ask you to follow the established procedures for the election with faith and purpose." .May God be before your eyes." Then he turned and walked away.

"But," blurted out a cardinal, "where are they?" The Pope's servant paused, "I really have nothing to say." "When are they coming back?" "I really have nothing to say." "Are they safe and sound?" "I really have nothing to say." "Will they come back?" He pondered for a long time. "Have some faith." With that said, the Pope's servant walked out of the room. As is customary, the doors of the Sistine Chapel were sealed from the outside by two heavy chains.Four Swiss guards stood guard in the far corridor.Mortati knew that before the pope was elected, there were only two situations in which the door could be opened: the lives of those inside were dying, or the arrival of the candidate bishop.Mortati prayed for the second scenario, though deep down he wasn't quite sure about it.

It had to go on, and Mortati made up his mind to play his part at the Pope's chamberlain. So, he has called for a vote, what else can he do?After thirty minutes of preparation, they began the first round of voting.The cardinals came in order according to their status to vote by secret ballot, while Mortati waited patiently at the altar. At last the last cardinal reached the altar and knelt before him. "I take Jesus Christ," the cardinal proclaimed like others, "as my witness, and he shall be my judge, and I cast my vote for him who, before God, I think should be elected."

Then he stood up and held the ticket high above his head for all to see.Then put down the ticket, put it on the tray above the Holy Grail on the altar, and then pick up the tray and throw the ticket into the Holy Grail.The tray is used to ensure that no one sneaks in two votes. After he had voted, he put the tray back on the chalice, bowed to the cross, and returned to his seat. The last vote has been cast. Now it's time for Mortati to work. Mortati placed the tray on top of the chalice and shook the chalice to mix the votes.Next, he took the tray, pulled out a ballot at random, and unfolded it. The ballot was exactly two inches wide.He read the ballot aloud so everyone could hear.

"Eligible for the papacy..." he read the words embossed on top of each ballot.As the Pope of Rome, I choose...  He then announced the names of the nominees written below.After the reading, he took a needle threaded through the word "eligible," carefully threaded the ballot onto the thread, and noted the ballot in a record book. Next, Mortati repeated the procedure: take a ballot from the grail, read it aloud, thread it on the thread, and write it down in the notebook.He sensed almost immediately that the first ballot would be lost.There was no consensus.In the seven ballots just counted, seven different cardinals have been nominated.As usual, the handwriting on each ballot paper is concealed by woodblock print or garish handwriting, which in this case is somewhat ironic since each cardinal is clearly casting his own vote .Mortati is well aware that this apparent arrogance has nothing to do with self-centered ambition.It was a stalemate, a defensive measure, a delaying tactic to ensure that no cardinal would have enough votes to be elected...and then have to vote again.

The cardinals await their bishop candidates. When the last ballot was recorded, Mortati declared the election "lost." He took the thread through which all the ballot papers were threaded, joined them end to end to form a ring, and placed the ring balls on a silver tray.He dispensed the appropriate medicines, placed the tray in a small chimney behind him, and lit the ballots.As the ballots burned, the added chemicals gave off black smoke.The smoke rose through the pipes to a hole in the roof and hung over the church for all to see.Mortati had just sent the first signal to the outside world.

One round of voting ended and the pope was not elected.