Rather, the Catholic Church believes it is the Holy Spirit who guides the process and so the Cardinal electors are constantly in prayer and discernment to choose the next Pope.
While the voting for the pope is billed as secret, with each cardinal guided only by his faith in God, the process is ultimately a closed-door exercise in consensus-building that cements fidelity to the Church's new leader among the inner circle.
Archbishop Tartaglia, who said he would do his best to fulfil the cardinal's role until a new archbishop was appointed, thought the process offered a chance for the church to regroup.