Published May 7, 2025
Much of the world’s attention is on the Vatican, where the conclave has begun and cardinals are meeting to select a successor to Pope Francis.
Francis, the only Latin American pontiff in history, died last month at the age of 88. His funeral, held on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica, was attended by heads of state, royalty and more than 250,000 mourners.
Now, with the pope laid to rest, we wait to see who will be the next leader of the Catholic Church. The papal conclave, a centuries-old tradition, can be as suspenseful as it is secretive.
The conclave began on Wednesday, with 133 cardinals attending. Only cardinals under the age of 80 are allowed to vote in a papal election.
It started with a special Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica. Later, the cardinals assembled at the Pauline Chapel before walking to the Sistine Chapel.
It is at the Sistine Chapel where voting will take place until a new pope is chosen. During the conclave, the chapel is placed under total lockdown to guarantee secrecy. In 2013, signal blockers were installed to prevent any calls, texts or internet access.
At the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday, the cardinals sang prayers and took an oath of secrecy.
One by one, in order of seniority, each cardinal took the oath.
It was one of the final acts we saw before the chapel closed its doors.
Archbishop Diego Giovanni Ravelli, the Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations, gave the order of “extra omnes,” a Latin phrase that means “everybody out.” All of the “extras” then filed out, leaving only the 133 cardinal electors.
The results of each vote are revealed to the outside world only by the smoke that comes out from the chimney each time ballots are burned. Black smoke means no pope has been chosen. White smoke means the opposite.
The first vote took place Wednesday afternoon, and the smoke was black, disappointing the thousands of people who had gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
From this point on, as many as four votes a day can take place each day — two in the morning and two in the afternoon. A candidate needs two-thirds of the votes cast to be elected.
The last two conclaves — held in 2005 to elect Pope Benedict XVI and in 2013 to elect Pope Francis — lasted two days.
This conclave will be “one of the most diverse that we’ve had in the history of the church,” Susan Timoney, a professor at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC, previously told CNN.
During Francis’ 12-year papacy, he appointed more than 20 cardinals from nations that had never previously had a cardinal — nearly all from developing countries, including Mongolia, Laos, Papua New Guinea and Mali.
Most of the cardinals in the conclave also owe their positions to Pope Francis. Of the 133 cardinals who are voting, Francis installed 108.
Shortly after a pope is selected, the dean of the College of Cardinals, or the most senior cardinal bishop, will ask the chosen candidate whether he accepts his election and what papal name he wants to take.
The pope-elect will then change into traditional papal robes in the Room of Tears, a small room next to the Sistine Chapel.
The Cardinal Protodeacon of the College of Cardinals will appear at the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and announce in Latin “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum; Habemus Papam!” (“I announce to you a great joy; we have a Pope!”)
The new pope will then follow him and deliver his first apostolic blessing, known as the “Urbi et Orbi” (“To the City and to the World”).