[StBernard] CHIMNEY INSTALLED ON ROOF OF SISTINE CHAPEL TODAY

Westley Annis westley at da-parish.com
Sat Mar 9 11:10:56 EST 2013


CHIMNEY INSTALLED ON ROOF OF SISTINE CHAPEL TODAY

Vatican City, 9 March 2013 (VIS) - The chimney on the roof of the Sistine
Chapel, which will emit the smoke to indicating the election (white smoke)
or non-election (black smoke) of a pope, was installed this morning, three
days before the Conclave is scheduled to begin. That, however, is not the
only change taking place in the chapel. Vatican Television is recording the
preparations and those images are then distributed to all media outlets that
request it for broadcasting around the world.

Work began on Tuesday, 5 March, at 1:00pm when restorers, electricians,
mechanics, carpenters, seamstresses, assemblers, electronic technicians and
other labourers from various areas of competence suddenly replaced the
hundreds of tourists who visit the Sistine Chapel every day. "The Chapel is
closed to the public. We are preparing for the Conclave," employees respond
to the questions asked by perplexed visitors who are trying to finish their
tour of the Vatican Museums with a glimpse of Michelangelo's "Creation of
Adam".

Journalists are already in the know. The Director of the Holy See Press
Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., has been holding daily press
conferences, giving a general overview of the proceedings of the General
Congregations and explaining the images of the preparations that are being
carried out around Vatican City. From within the Sistine Chapel we see
scaffolding around the stoves that will burn the ballots to erect the stove
pipe that releases the smoke from the roof of the chapel, shorter tubing for
the scaffolding that will elevate the floor and create a uniform area to
work on, lengths of cloth and the seamstresses sowing them together to
create table covers...

On Wednesday, 6 March, for example, Vatican Television provided raw video of
workers installing a large platform for the chimney and flooring sheets over
the original mosaic pavement, both to protect the mosaics and to make it
easier to build the elevated floor above it, which will provide the
cardinals with an even expanse to walk and work upon.

Around the altar, 115 cherry wood chairs have been put in place, each
engraved with the name of the cardinal who will occupy it, with 12 wooden
tables covered in beige and bordeaux fabric where the cardinals will prepare
their ballots. They will cast their votes in front of Michelangelo's fresco
of "The Last Judgment" on the wall of the altar.

After the chimney is installed it will be submitted to a series of tests
using chemicals to emit a yellow smoke so as not to confuse the increased
number of passers-by in St. Peter's Square. The chimney is just the last
piece of the mechanism that will produce the smoke. The two iron stoves it
is attached to were installed yesterday. The first stove, cast in 1938, has
the dates of the five Conclaves it has been used in etched upon it-from the
one electing Pius XII in 1939 until the latest, in 2005, when Cardinal
Ratzinger became Benedict XVI.

This older oven is used to burn the balloting papers. The modern one,
equipped with an electronic device, will add the chemicals to produce the
black or white smoke indicating the result of the voting until the election
occurs. There are two voting sessions planned for each morning and each
afternoon that the Conclave continues. At the moment, the chimney is at the
centre of the media's curiosity. Next Tuesday afternoon it will hold the
attention of millions around the world.

Besides the Cardinal electors, the only others who will be present in the
Sistine Chapel are the Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations and Cardinal
Prospero Grech, O.S.A., who will preach the second meditation provided for
in No. 13 of the Apostolic Constitution "Universi Dominici Gregis" to the
Cardinal electors.





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