The Vatican has just announced that the Conclavce is to start on Tuesday March 12, 2013.

After almost a week of consultations, the College of Cardinals has finally fixed a date for the beginning of the Conclave that will take place at the premises of the Sistine Chapel.

As the week progressed, the question of a fundamental reform of the Curia, after the scandals that shattered the church in recent years, became a crucial issue among the Cardinals. This topic has become the central point in the negotiations.

The negotiations to find a successor to Benedict XVI., are proving to be more difficult than expected, as indicated by the long wait for only the starting date.

The Conclave to elect the new head of the Roman Catholic Church is preceded by intensive understandings and agreements between different “popemakers” in the General Congregations. Shepherd or diplomat, Italian or alien, conservative or reformer.