The Papal conclave: How a new Pope is elected
NEW YORK (PIX11)—After Pope Francis's death, the Catholic Church is in the process of finding a new head. The new Pope will have supreme and full authority over the universal Church, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
This process is called a papal conclave.
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What is a conclave?
A conclave is the election process by which a new pope is elected, according to Catholic.com.
What takes place during the Conclave?
The College of Cardinals, composed of 133 voting-eligible cardinals, is sequestered inside the Vatican to pray, discern, and vote for the next pope without distraction.
How does one become pope?
A two-thirds majority, or about 89 votes, is required for a new pope to be elected.
Conclave by the numbers
With over 400,000 Catholic priests worldwide, out of them, just 252 are cardinals.
Only 133 'cardinals electors' are expected to cast ballots in the conclave; cardinals age 80 and over cannot vote.
Of the 133 voting-eligible cardinals, 108 were appointed by Pope Francis, so this is their first conclave.
What is the process of voting?
According to Exaudi, a Catholic International News Agency, each cardinal writes the chosen candidate's name in Latin. The cardinals then cast their votes into a ballot box in front of the others. Their votes are counted while three groups of three cardinals, known as scrutinators, observe the counting separately to ensure accuracy. The results are then compared and announced to the group.
At the end of each day, the ballots are burned.
The color of the smoke indicates whether a new pope has been elected.
What does the color of the smoke mean?
Black smoke signals no decision, while white smoke means a new pope has been chosen. At 9 p.m., black smoke rose from the Vatican chimney, indicating no pope had been chosen.
How long can the conclave last?
Current rules are designed to produce an election within about 12-13 days at most, according to the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Where does voting take place?
All voting takes place in the Sistine Chapel.
What happens after the pope is elected?
The senior cardinal will ask him if he accepts the election. If he does, he immediately becomes pope, white smoke is sent up, and Saint Peter's Basilica bells are rung.
The new pope then chooses a new name, and the senior cardinal-deacon, currently Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, will introduce him publicly from the balcony of Saint Peter's Basilica.
The new pope will use the Latin term of 'habemus papam' for 'we have a pope.'
Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here.
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