VATICAN CITY — When Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio emerged onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica after the conclave of March 2013, few outside his native Argentina knew who he was or what kind of pope he might be.
When his papal name was announced, things became much clearer.
Taking the name of the 13th century St. Francis of Assisi, Bergoglio laid out a plan for his papacy.
St. Francis had rejected wealth and wanted to care for the poor. He had taken care of animals and the environment and appealed movingly against the wars of his time. These traits would become key themes of the 12-year papacy of Pope Francis.
With 133 Catholic cardinals starting their conclave on Wednesday to elect Francis’ successor, the world awaits the moment when the new pontiff emerges onto that balcony. What name will be announced? What signal will it send?
John, the most common name chosen by past popes and a name Francis often suggested as one for his successor, would evoke a major figure of the 1960s.
Pope John XXIII (1958 to 1963) was known as a gregarious, smiling man, often referred to as “The Good Pope.”
He helped work behind the scenes to de-escalate the Cuban Missile Crisis and called the Second Vatican Council, a three-year assembly of the world’s Catholic bishops that led to major reforms for the global institution.
Choosing the name Paul could honor Pope Paul VI (1963 to 1978), who came after John XXIII and was widely seen as a more cautious figure. He is generally seen as a careful consolidator, who firmed up some of John’s reforms but also gave clear doctrinal answers.
Paul VI, for instance, was the author of a 1968 letter that broadly banned Catholics from using birth control.
Some cardinals say quietly that after Pope Francis, a new Pope Paul is exactly what is needed. Francis, the first pope from the Americas, was not always focused on clear doctrine and even made controversial decisions like allowing priests to bless same-sex couples on a case-by-case basis.
Another double papal name?
Other popular papal names have included Gregory, Clement, Leo and Pius.
There is also Benedict, which could honour Francis’ conservative predecessor, Benedict XVI. Or it could honour Benedict XV (1914 to 1922), who spent his papacy pleading with European leaders to end the bloodshed of World War One.
A new pope could decide to be called Francis II, which would be taken as a clear signal that the new pontiff planned to continue with a similar agenda to the late pope.
Cardinal Albino Luciani, elected pope in 1978, decided he could not pick just one name. He chose John Paul, to honour both of his immediate predecessors.
When Luciani died only 33 days later, the next pope, Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, chose John Paul II (1978-2005), honoring all three most recent popes.
The new pope could also choose a double name. Something like John Francis would evoke the reforms of the 1960s and the global attraction of Francis, whose funeral and burial procession brought out crowds in Rome of some 400,000.
Most beautiful banker
Vatican technicians secured what will arguably become the world’s most beautiful bunker, making sure that what happens in the Sistine Chapel stays in the Sistine Chapel.
Michelangelo, meet James Bond.
The chapel is adorned with frescoes painted by the Renaissance master. It has a newly installed floor elevated to provide a seamless platform with the base of the altar, which is several steps higher than the rest of the chapel.
Just what may be under that temporary floor, apart from wiring for electricity and sound systems, depends on which Vatican official one talks to.
It may, or may not, be the home to jamming devices. The devices may also be near the upper windows of the chapel, which is about 68 feet (20.1 meters) high.
Officials have at times contradicted each other. The details, after all, are supposed to be a secret, maybe even to them. The only thing everyone agrees on is they are there, even if, like the Holy Spirit who is supposed to inspire the cardinals, they cannot be seen.
Other security measures to make sure no one is eavesdropping or trying to get information out reportedly include film on the window to block cameras on drones and special tiles to block signals from cellphones, which are banned anyway.
At the last conclave in 2013, it was widely reported that a Faraday cage had been installed. Such devices can enhance communications security by shielding against electromagnetic fields.
On Monday the office of the governor of Vatican City sent out a laconic note addressed to “Dear Clients” informing them that cellphone towers in the world’s smallest sovereign state will be deactivated at 3 p.m. (1300 GMT) on Wednesday and remain off until after the new pope’s name is announced.
The 108-acre city-state, however, is surrounded by Rome, and it was not clear if the Vatican was taking any action to block connections to phone towers just outside its walls.
