Anticipation and excitement were in the air in St. Peter’s Square and the surrounding environs as thousands of faithful and curiosity seekers alike gazed for hours at a small chimney atop the Sistine Chapel.

As expected, the 133 cardinals who entered the Sistine Chapel May 7 failed to elect the next pope on their first ballot.

Invoking the help of the Holy Spirit and recognizing that millions of people all over the world were praying for them, 133 cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel with a singular goal: to elect “a worthy pastor” for the universal church.

The Vatican’s approach to security protocols for the papal conclave “sets a gold standard for organizations handling sensitive decisions,” security expert and author Theresa Payton told OSV News.

Cardinal Oswald Gracias of India, considered a member of the late pontiff’s inner circle, offered OSV News a candid and deeply personal reflection on the late pontiff’s legacy, the pre-election meetings, and the kind of leader the church needs next. The conclave to elect him starts May 7.

In Rome, the conclave is the talk of the town: from speculation over a morning espresso about who will be the next pope to taxi drivers complaining about how roadblocks have made their work even more difficult.

At Mass before the conclave that will elect the next pope, the dean of the College of Cardinals urged his brothers to choose the shepherd the church and all of humanity need “at this difficult and complex and tormented” turning point in history.

A former Vatican nuncio and collaborator in the Roman Curia, Sri Lankan Cardinal Albert Malcolm Ranjith, 77, has been leading the Archdiocese of Colombo since 2009.

Of the 135 cardinals eligible to enter the Sistine Chapel on May 7 to elect the next pope, one absence has sparked confusion, controversy and no small amount of speculation, almost as if it were a plot point of the movie “Conclave.”

On the eve of the conclave that will decide the next pontiff, the ring and lead seal of the late Pope Francis were destroyed in the presence of members of the College of Cardinals in the Vatican’s New Synod Hall.