08-05-2025
White smoke has emerged, signalling a new pope has been chosen
In over 2,000 years of papal elections, only two popes have been chosen in May — the month dedicated to the Madonna in the Roman Catholic calendar.
The first came in 1342, during the Avignonese captivity, when the papacy was based in France due to conflict between the pope and the Roman nobles. That conclave opened on May 5 and after just two days, Cardinal Pierre Roger was elected Pope Clement VI. He led the Church through the early years of the Black Death. He's known for his charitable efforts and protection of Jews from persecution during the plague.
The second May election came in 1605, after Pope Leo XI's brief 27-day papacy. That conclave began on May 8 and stretched to 27 rounds before the cardinals elected Camillo Borghese, who became Pope Paul V. (Villa Borghese Park and Gallery, among the largest parks in Rome, belonged to the family, along with many other properties in and around the city.) His papacy marked the beginning of a new Baroque era in Rome, with a major revitalization of the city — and papal power.
