When Will the New Pope Be Elected? Thursday, According to Dolan

New York's Cardinal Timothy Dolan says the church will have a new pope by Thursday.

"My guess is that we'd have a new Successor of St. Peter by Thursday evening, with a hoped-for inaugural Mass on March 19, the feast of St. Joseph, the patron of the Church Universal, a holiday, and Father's Day here in Italy," Dolan wrote to his priests n New York — according to ABC News.

The Papal Conclave 2013 started today as 115 cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel for the first round of voting — which Dolan described as "a beautiful process." "The closer you get, the more you get settled in your mind. And there's a sense of resignation and conformity with God's plan. It's magnificent," he said.