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Time Out
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Time Out
What is a conclave and how is a new pope decided?
After the passing of Pope Francis on Easter Monday, his funeral mass is thought to have attracted 250,000 people to St Peter's Square, and 140,000 lined up on the streets of Rome for his funeral procession. The death of a pope traditionally triggers nine days of official mourning known as the 'novendiale', but after that it's time to decide on his successor – it's time for a conclave. The process of electing a new pope has always been shrouded in secrecy, but thanks to some research (and a cleverly marketed Oscar-nominated feature film) we do know a fair bit about how the next Holy Father is decided. Read on for everything you need to know about the conclave. What is a conclave? It's the gathering of the College of Cardinals to elect the new Bishop of Rome – a.k.a., the Pope. Senior members of the Catholic Church (who are under the age of 80) gather from their accommodation at Casa Santa Marta to attend rounds of votes in the Sistine Chapel, handing in their phones, swearing an oath of secrecy and having no contact with the outside world for its duration. Three of the last five Popes have been elected on day two of the conclave (which is what we're on now), but their length has varied enormously throughout the centuries. In fact, a conclave in the thirteenth century lasted a staggering two years and nine months following the death of Pope Clement IV. How is a new pope decided? So, what actually happens? Well, the Dean of the College of Cardinals will say 'extra omnes' which means 'everyone out'. There are no speeches, no debates – the men sit and vote. The first took place on Wednesday afternoon, and after that four are scheduled each day until one Cardinal receives a two-thirds majority. This year, according to the Guardian, there are 133 Cardinals voting. If a vote results in no conclusive winner, all the papers are burned in a stove with a chemical to produce black smoke. This billows out of the Sistine Chapel chimney, and signifies to the world that the conclave will continue. Once there is a winner, and he has accepted his new role as the 'supreme pontiff', the smoke produced is white. The new Pope is then taken to the Room of Tears to change into a cassock (various gown sizes are made to ensure all outcomes are covered – literally) before heading to St Peter's Basilica's main balcony. Confused? The recent Oscar-nominated feature film Conclave reportedly does a pretty good job at replicating everything we know about the process. It's so accurate, in fact, that cardinals have reportedly been watching in prep for this conclave. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The News Movement (@thenewsmovement) At the time of writing, three votes have taken place and resulted in black smoke billowing from the Vatican's chimney – which means no decision has been made. You can read about all the contenders in detail here. How to watch the conclave live If you're so gripped with the Vatican drama that you can't bear to tear your eyes away, there's a livestream available on YouTube, courtesy of the Associated Press.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Breaking Down the Cardinals Selecting the New Pope
The longest conclave ever took place in the 13th century when the Church took almost three years—over 1,000 days—to elect Pope Clement IV Credit -Catholic cardinals from around the globe have gathered at the Vatican, retreating from the outside world to deliberate in secrecy on who will succeed Pope Francis. The Sistine Chapel has been sealed and the cardinals and Vatican staff have sworn an oath of secrecy. To chose the new pope, two-thirds of the 133 cardinals must agree on a name, meaning the winner will need at least 89 votes. Read More: The Vatican Faces a Defining Moment as Cardinals Prepare to Choose a New Pope Here is a breakdown on the cardinals who are voting. How many cardinals chose the new pope? There are 252 cardinals in total, but only those under the age of 80 can take part in the conclave. While that means that 135 cardinals are eligible to vote, two have announced they will not travel to Rome, leaving 133 cardinals to participate in the conclave. During the 2013 conclave that chose Francis, there were 207 cardinals—117 of whom were eligible. Like this year, two cardinals were unable to vote, and thus there were 115 cardinals who entered the conclave. What countries do the cardinals come from? According to the Vatican, the cardinals who will elect the new Pope are from 70 countries. The majority are from Europe, with 52 cardinals, 17 are from Africa, 16 are from North America, 4 are from Central America, 17 are from South America, 23 are from Asia and 4 are from Oceania. This will be the first papal conclave in which fewer than half the voting cardinals are European, showing a shift away from Europe-centricism in the Catholic church. In fact, it will be the most geographically diverse conclave in history, a legacy in part brought about by Pope Francis—the first Latin-American Pope, who consistently emphasized the importance of this diversity, and dismissed the idea that nationality or geography should determine who became Pope. He elevated cardinals from several underrepresented countries, including Myanmar and East Timor. Some of Francis' appointees are from countries that will be represented for the first time in a conclave, including the aforementioned two, Cape Verde, Paraguay, Haiti and South Sudan. Read More: Who Could Be the Next Pope? These Are the Names to Know According to the Pew Research Center, after Pope Francis, Europe is still 'over represented' in the College of Cardinals, but less so than during his election as Pope in 2013. The most underrepresented region based on population, they calculate, is Latin America, with 41% of the worldwide Catholic population as of 2022 but has only 18% of the voting cardinals. The country with the most cardinals is overwhelmingly Italy with 17 voting cardinals, followed by the United States with 10, and Brazil with 7. Many countries are only represented by one voting cardinal—including Peru, Serbia, Nigeria, and Sri Lanka. The selection process Pope Paul VI ruled in 1970 that cardinals above 80 years old cannot vote for the Pope. Cardinals are elected by the Pope and hold their position for life. 108 of the cardinals eligible to elect were appointed by Pope Francis to the College of Cardinals, and the remainder were appointed by the previous two Popes, Benedict XVI and John Paul II. During the 2013 conclave, just 67 cardinals had been elevated by the previous Pope Benedict XVI to compare, and 48 had been elevated by John Paul II, who had been Pope until 2005. How long have other conclaves taken? If a conclave does not produce a new pope after 13 days of voting, a runoff election between the two leading candidates is held. The longest conclave ever took place in the 13th century when the Church took almost three years—over 1,000 days—to elect Pope Clement IV. Since 1831 however, the process has usually have latest less than a week. As for more recent papal elections, Pope Francis was elected on the third ballot in 2013, his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI was elected in two days. Generally, the length of time depends on the first few votes. One vote will be held on the first day of voting. If no candidate receives the necessary 89 votes, four votes will occur over the next two days— two votes each morning, and two votes each afternoon. These ballots are then burned—and the color of the smoke shows the outside world whether a Pope was chosen or not. If the smoke emerging from the Sistine Chapel chimney is black, it means no decision was made. If the smoke emerging is white, the public will know a new Pope has been chosen. The ballots are burned each two rounds of voting, unless a Pope is chosen. Read More: 10 Surprising Facts About Papal Conclaves If after the third day no decision has been made, the voters are allowed a one day break. Contact us at letters@
Scottish Sun
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Cardinals meet for secretive Conclave to begin ancient ritual to select new Pope after death of Francis
SMOKE & SHADOW Cardinals meet for secretive Conclave to begin ancient ritual to select new Pope after death of Francis CARDINALS are gathering in the Sistine Chapel today to take part in a secretive 1,000-year-old tradition to elect the new Pope. Following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, 133 cardinals will start voting for one of their number to lead the world's 1.4 billion Catholics. Advertisement A mass will be held in the Vatican this morning before the cardinals make their way from their residence at Casa Santa Marta to the Sistine Chapel for the election, which begins at 2.30pm UK time. The cardinals swear an oath of secrecy, risking excommunication if they reveal what happens in the conclave, and are forbidden from contacting the outside world until they have a decision. The outside world will have to wait for the plumes of smoke to emerge from the chimney - black smoke means no one has reached a majority and white smoke means a new pope has been elected. The previous two conclaves lasted two days, but hopefully papal watchers won't have to wait as long as the vote following the death of Pope Clement IV, lasted a staggering two years. Advertisement You can follow our live blog, below, for updates ...
The Sun
07-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Cardinals meet for secretive Conclave to begin ancient ritual to select new Pope after death of Francis
CARDINALS are gathering in the Sistine Chapel today to take part in a secretive 1,000-year-old tradition to elect the new Pope. Following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, 133 cardinals will start voting for one of their number to lead the world's 1.4 billion Catholics. A mass will be held in the Vatican this morning before the cardinals make their way from their residence at Casa Santa Marta to the Sistine Chapel for the election, which begins at 2.30pm UK time. The cardinals swear an oath of secrecy, risking excommunication if they reveal what happens in the conclave, and are forbidden from contacting the outside world until they have a decision. The outside world will have to wait for the plumes of smoke to emerge from the chimney - black smoke means no one has reached a majority and white smoke means a new pope has been elected. The previous two conclaves lasted two days, but hopefully papal watchers won't have to wait as long as the vote following the death of Pope Clement IV, lasted a staggering two years.
The Irish Sun
07-05-2025
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
Cardinals meet for secretive Conclave to begin ancient ritual to select new Pope after death of Francis
CARDINALS are gathering in the Sistine Chapel today to take part in a secretive 1,000-year-old tradition to elect the new Pope. Following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, 133 cardinals will start voting for one of their number to lead the world's 1.4 billion Catholics. Advertisement A mass will be held in the Vatican this morning before the cardinals make their way from their residence at Casa Santa Marta to the Sistine Chapel for the election, which begins at 2.30pm UK time. The cardinals swear an oath of secrecy, risking excommunication if they reveal what happens in the conclave, and are forbidden from contacting the outside world until they have a decision. The outside world will have to wait for the plumes of smoke to emerge from the chimney - black smoke means no one has reached a majority and white smoke means a new pope has been elected. The previous two conclaves lasted two days, but hopefully papal watchers won't have to wait as long as the vote following the death of Pope Clement IV, lasted a staggering two years. Advertisement You can follow our live blog, below, for updates ...
