In the morning, the cardinals celebrated a special Mass led by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the dean of the College of Cardinals, who gave the last major public statement by a Vatican prelate before the church’s next pontiff emerges. It was a call to unity for a church whose Vatican leadership has been riven by scandal, and whose cardinals are wrangling over what kind of pope they want.

“St. Paul teaches that each of us must work to build up the unity of the church,” the cardinal said in his homily. “All of us are therefore called to cooperate with the pastors, in particular with the successor of Peter, to obtain that unity of the holy church.” St. Peter was the first pope.

Many cardinals are advocating more specific goals. They want the Vatican hierarchy to work more efficiently to better serve a global church. Liberal Catholics in the United States want changes on clerical celibacy and the ordination of women, even as others do not. In Europe, some seek a greater role in Catholic life for the divorced. In Latin America, there are demands for more vibrant parishes. And in Africa, where the church is growing fastest, the need is for more priests.

Yet popes are not like presidents, elected on a legislative record or agenda. Anyone expecting the new pope to enact big changes on social issues is likely to be disappointed, given the doctrinal conservatism of the 115 elector cardinals.