The world waits for a new pope

CNN

07-05-2025

Cardinals attend a Mass at the Vatican's St. Peter's Basilica before the start of the papal conclave on Wednesday. ()
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. Nuns walk through St. Peter's Square on Wednesday. (Jeff Pachoud/AFP/Getty Images) Cardinals dress to celebrate Mass at St. Peter's Basilica on Wednesday. (Oliver Weiken/Picture-Alliance/DPA/AP) A view of St. Peter's Square, as seen from the cupola of St. Peter's Basilica on Saturday. (Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images)
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 to the chant of the 'Veni Creator.'
It is at the Sistine Chapel where voting will take place until a new pope is chosen. During 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. People in St. Peter's Square watch a screen Wednesday that shows cardinals in the Sistine Chapel. (Kevin Coombs/Reuters) The Room of Tears is a small room next to the Sistine Chapel where the newly elected pope will don the white papal vestments for the first time. (Vatican Media/Reuters)
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 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, and it will be met by huge cheers from crowds who have gathered nearby.
The last two conclaves — held in 2005 to elect Pope Benedict XVI and in 2013 to elect Pope Francis — lasted two days. A firefighter works to set a chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel on Friday. White smoke will emerge from the chimney when a new pope is elected. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters)
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. Officials, members of the clergy, and conclave staff take an oath of secrecy in the Pauline Chapel on Monday. (Vatican Media/­Reuters) Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, arrives for a general congregation meeting on Tuesday. (Eloisa Lopez/Reuters) Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, the archbishop of Algiers, Algeria, arrives in Rome on Tuesday. (Amanda Perobelli/Reuters)
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'). Nuns from Poland take in a view of the Vatican on Monday. () Red drapes are installed on the main balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, where the new pope will be introduced to the world. ()