Some 90 members of the support staff were sworn to secrecy this afternoon. Missa pro eligendo pontifice will take place tomorrow morning. In the afternoon, a solemn procession will take the cardinal electors from the Pauline Chapel to the Sistine Chapel where they will be sworn in. The extra omnes will follow. This morning, during the tenth and last general congregation, cardinals talked about the Vatican bank.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Everything is in place for the start of the conclave tomorrow afternoon. The Sistine Chapel and Saint Martha House have been prepared with some 30 entrances sealed (creating the enclosure) for the cardinal electors. At 5.30 pm, some 90 members of the conclave support staff swore an oath in the Pauline Chapel before the Camerlengo Card Tarcisio Bertone. They included the conclave secretary, the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations and the masters of ceremony, the aide to the presiding cardinal, the men and women religious working for the conclave and the papal office as well as the priests who will hear confessions, the medical staff, cooks and food workers and the cleaners in Saint Martha House.

The Missa pro eligendo pontifice will be celebrated tomorrow at 10 am led by the Dean of Cardinals, Card Angelo Sodano, and co-celebrated by all cardinals, including the non-electors. The Mass will be open to the public, but access to the press will be limited given the number (5,600) of members of the media accredited.

Cardinals will enter in conclave tomorrow afternoon beginning with a prayer in the Pauline Chapel at 4.30 pm. The procession towards the Sistine Chapel will follow with the cardinals in reversed order, the senior cardinal, as the main celebrant, closing the march. During the procession, the litanies of the saints and Veni Creator Spiritus will be recited.

Once inside the Sistine Chapel, the cardinals will take their seat. The main celebrant will swear his oath.  He will be followed by the other cardinals who will go up to the lectern at the centre of the chapel, touch the Gospel on top of it, and swear their oath.

In the Sistine Chapel, some people like the substitute and Mgr Georg Gänswein, prefect of the Pontifical Household and Benedict XVI's personal secretary, will be allowed up to the gate.

"He will certainly be at the entrance in the conclave," said Vatican Press Office director Fr Federico Lombardi in today's briefing.

Following the swearing in ceremony the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations will pronounce aloud the extra omnes. All those who are not part of the conclave will have to leave. Card Prospero Grech will then preach meditation to the cardinal electors.

After that, the electors will be able to conduct their first vote, which is not expected to have a positive outcome. The first fumata is expected for 7 pm. However, in 2005, it came at 8.04 pm.

Afterwards, the cardinals will recite the Vespers before going back to Saint Martha House.

This morning, the tenth and last general congregation was held with 152 cardinals present. The latter chose the three new assistants for the particular congregations: Cardinal Antonios Naguib for the Cardinal-Bishops, Cardinal Marc Ouellet for the Cardinal-Priests, and Cardinal Francesco Monterisi for the Cardinal-Deacons. They will hold that office for three days.

Today, 28 cardinals spoke during the general congregation, bringing the total number to have spoken to 161.

Among the topics they discussed, there was IOR, the Vatican bank. Card Bertone, who heads the bank watchdog, gave a short report, describing the nature and role of international banking controls. The traits and expectations about the future Holy Father was another of the important issues discussed. (FP)

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