Robert Langdon, #1
Angels & Demons
by Dan Brown
Contents
34
Overview
Cardinal Mortati prepares to oversee the papal conclave inside the sealed Sistine Chapel, where secrecy and tradition isolate the cardinals from the outside world. His confidence in a peaceful, swift election collapses when he discovers that the four leading papal candidates are missing.
The absence of the chosen four introduces a new crisis within the Vatican just as the conclave is about to begin, raising the stakes around the already urgent threat of the stolen antimatter.
Summary
Inside the Sistine Chapel, Cardinal Mortati tries to find calm as cardinals from around the world gather by candlelight for the upcoming conclave. The chapel windows have been covered in black velvet to preserve secrecy, leaving the room sealed off from outside influence and lit only by candles.
Mortati reflects on the privilege and responsibility of overseeing the conclave. At seventy-nine, he is the most senior cardinal present, while cardinals over eighty are ineligible and absent. The conclave is scheduled to begin after the late Pope’s chamberlain arrives at 7 P.M. to give the opening prayer, after which the Swiss Guard will lock the cardinals inside until a new Pope is chosen.
The chapter emphasizes the conclave’s strict isolation: no calls, messages, signals, or contact with the outside world. Although conclaves have historically been politically charged and sometimes violent, Mortati expects this one to be unified, peaceful, and brief.
That expectation is shaken when Mortati realizes that four cardinals are missing. These are not ordinary absentees but the four leading candidates, the chosen four, whose absence is alarming so close to the start of the conclave.
Mortati has already alerted the Swiss Guard through proper channels, but no response has arrived. As other cardinals notice the absence and begin whispering anxiously, Mortati fears the evening may be longer and more troubled than anticipated.
Who Appears
- Cardinal MortatiSenior cardinal overseeing conclave; grows alarmed when four leading candidates are absent.
- The four missing cardinalsLeading papal candidates whose unexplained absence disrupts expectations for the conclave.
- The assembled cardinalsGlobal church leaders gathering in the Sistine Chapel and noticing the troubling absence.
- The Swiss GuardVatican security force alerted by Mortati about the missing cardinals.