The Conclave to elect a new Pope after the passing of Pope Francis:
After a Pope dies, we enter a period called the interregnum (Latin for “between reigns“). During the interregnum, we have no Pope and a chain of events begins to elect a new Pope. All Cardinals under the age of 80 are summoned to Rome to begin the process of electing a new Pope in what is called a Conclave. The word “conclave” is a Latin noun dating back to ancient Rome meaning a locked room, typically used to store valuables or imprison someone; and indeed, the Cardinals are in a locked room (the Sistine Chapel) during deliberations and voting.
The history of Papal Conclaves:
Far from what we see today, from the Apostolic Age until 1059, the Pope, like other bishops, was chosen by the consensus of the clergy and laity of the diocese. In 1059, the body of electors was more precisely defined, when the College of Cardinals was designated the sole body of electors.
The 1268–71 papal election in Viterbo, Italy (from November 1268 to September 1271), following the death of Pope Clement IV, was the longest papal election in the history. locals became frustrated with the prolonged election and decided to remove the roof of the building where the cardinals were locked up. This was done to pressure them into a decision. The cardinals were already confined, fed only bread and water, and the roof removal was a final push to speed up the process.
The location of the Conclave was not always fixed: the Conclave of 1314-16 was held in France, and a century later, the Conclave of 1415-17 was held in Germany.
Papal conclaves, as a legally mandated process, officially began after that in 1274 in Viterbo with Pope Gregory X’s bull Ubi periculum. Prior to this, although papal elections had been held under similar circumstances, this was the first time such a formal requirement was introduced.
The conclave typically begins between 15 to 20 days after the pope’s death. In this case, the Conclave began on May 7, 2025, following the conclusion of the Novemdiales Masses where we prayed for the eternal repose of the late Pope Francis.
The photos shown below were released by the Vatican on May 5 showing that the preparations were complete for the Conclave to begin.
Historically, most conclaves last a few days, although the longest in history started in 1268 and lasted two years and nine months. After several rule changes to speed up the process over time, the average length of a conclave since the beginning of the 20th century has been three days.
The Conclave to elect Pope Benedict XVI lasted two days, while the Conclave that elected Pope Francis was one of the shortest in history, lasting just over 24 hours, barely making it two days. The time record for the last 8 conclaves is as follows:
•1922 – Pius XI: 5 days
•1939 – Pius XII: 2 days
•1958 – John XXIII: 4 days
•1963 – Paul VI: 3 days
•1978 – John Paul I: 2 days
•1978 – John Paul II: 3 days
•2005 – Benedict XVI: 2 days
•2013 – Francis: 2 days
Of course, this is not to say that we will see a short conclave this time….it all depends upon the dynamics involved. Our best guess is 3-4 days…but our guess is as good as yours (actually, yours is probably better)
The Conclave process explained:
Marking the beginning of the Conclave, a special Mass is held in the morning in Saint Peter’s Basilica. After Mass, the cardinal electors will gather inside the Sistine Chapel, which has overseen all papal conclaves since 1858. The conclave will officially begin when the words “extra omnes” (Latin for “everybody out”) are said by the master of the papal liturgical celebrations. This expels everyone but voting cardinals from the Sistine Chapel. Per tradition, the cardinals are cut off from the outside world, including televisions, phones, computers and newspapers, which certainly fits in with the definition of “Conclave”.
The voting process at the 2025 conclave:
Most of the Cardinal-electors do not know each other (except for a few well-known officials)…in fact, they wear name tags for identification. So the time before voting becomes a brief opportunity for some of them to exchange viewpoints and get to know each other better.
There was no set day for the voting to begin; however,
Cardinals vote by writing on a piece of paper headed “Eligo in summen pontificem,” Latin for “I elect as supreme pontiff.” Ballots are then stuffed into an urn and counted. To validly elect a new Pope, a two-thirds majority of the electors that are present is required. If the total number of electors is not evenly divisible by three, an additional vote is necessary.
If you are looking for announcements, bear in mind the time difference between Rome and where you live. Rome time is GMT +2. So, for example, New York is GMT -4. and therefore 6 hours ahead of Rome time. (7:45 am in Rome is 1:45 pm in New York).
Three cardinals delegated as scrutineers count the ballots, ensure everyone has voted, each make a count, and then burn the ballots. A two-thirds majority is required for a cardinal to be named the new pope.
All eyes will be on the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel:
Interestingly, the slim metal chimney is not a permanent part of the chapel and is only placed on its roof as a Conclave begins.
It is connected to two stoves..one stove used for the black smoke and one used for the white smoke.
After each vote in a conclave, if no clear winner has emerged, black smoke is released from the chimney, visible from St. Peter’s Square.
This signals that the Cardinals have not yet reached a decision and another vote will be held.
After the first day, four votes will be taken each day, twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon. Times are often shown as GMT (Greenwich Mean Time..or UTC); however times below are Eastern Standard Time in the U.S. (remember, Rome is 6 hours earlier than Eastern Standard Time. So if, for example, you live in the U.S. you will probably get the results of the final vote of the previous day along with your morning coffee…have we confused you yet?
First vote: 3:30 a.m. (9:30 am Rome Time)
Second vote: 6:00 a.m. (noon Rome time) Smoke is released for the votes 1 and 2.
Third vote: 10 a.m. EDT (4:00 p.m. Rome time)
Fourth vote: 7 p.m. EDT (1:00 a.m. following day Rome time) smoke is released for votes 3 and 4.
Although there can be four votes per day after the first day, smoke is only released twice per day, as ballots from each session (morning and afternoon) are burned together…unless, of course a new Pope has been elected.
White smoke is released when a new pope has been chosen.
At this time, the crowds in Saint Peter’s square usually erupt in to applause…and millions of Catholics around the world wait in anticipation to see who has been elected.
Got some time on your hands? Here is a live shot of the chimney in real time.
Just to add to the confusion for those not familiar with time zones, UTC is equivalent to GMT (Greenwich Mean Time); however, their measurements differ: GMT is measured from midday, whereas UTC is measured from midnight. UTC is the legal basis of time in the world. Not worth worrying about, in our humble opinion.
Latest Results of the 2025 Papal Conclave:
There was no set day for the voting to begin; however, on the afternoon of the first day (May 7) there was only one vote taken, and black smoke signaled that no consensus had emerged.
Black smoke rose from the chimney over the Sistine Chapel at 11:50 am (Rome time) on Thursday morning, May 8, signalling the second ballot of the first full day of the conclave – and the third ballot overall – did not elect a pope.
Black smoke again rose from the chimney on Thursday May 8 at 11:50 am (Rome time), signalling the second ballot of the first full day of the conclave has failed to elect a new pope.
We have a Pope!
On Thursday May 8, white smoke emerged from the Sistine Cbapel and we heard the words “Habemus Papam”
Our new pope is Robert Francis Prevost, who has taken the name Pope Leo IV.
Once a new Pope has been elected:
The man elected then goes in to “The Room of Tears” or “Crying Room”, a private antechamber within the Sistine Chapel where a newly elected Pope first dons his papal cassock. As you can see from the photo, there is a variety of cassocks and shoes available to fit the new Pope regardless of his measurements. You can read more here.
It’s called “The Room of Tears” because when Leo XIII was elected Pope in 1878 at age 67, he initially felt too old for the job and wept. Despite his concerns, he went on to live a long life, becoming the second-oldest Pope ever and dying at 93. The newly elected Pope often experiences the same overwhelming emotions, both joy and the weight of their new responsibility, and may shed tears in this space.
Shortly thereafter, French Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, who serves as the Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura and has been selected as Protodeacon, will get to announce “”Habemus Papam” − We have a pope − from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. The new pontiff then goes out onto the balcony and blesses the city of Rome and the entire world.
Who will be voting in the Papal Conclave?
This is an ever-changing story leading up to the start of the Conclave, so please let us know if you have any updates.
The geographic representation is still primarily European, which is represented by 53 Cardinal electors (some of whom head Dioceses and Archdioceses in non-European countries, or serve as Apostolic Nuncios abroad or in the Curia), with Italy at 19, followed by France with 6 and Spain with 5.
Among non-European Cardinal-electors there are 37 Cardinals from the Americas, 23 from Asia, 18 from Africa and 4 from Oceania.
As of May 5, 2025, there are 252 cardinals, of whom 135 are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Cardinals’ eligibility is based on their age on the date of the pope’s death. According to Universi Dominici Gregis, (Pope Saint John Paul II’s Apostolic Constitution governing papal elections §33), “cardinals who have not yet reached their 80th birthday on the day the Apostolic See becomes vacant are fully eligible to participate in the conclave and to cast their vote for the new pope” .
The oldest cardinal-elector is Cardinal Carlos Osoro Sierra, the archbishop emeritus of Madrid. He is 79 years old, and he turns 80 on May 16, 2025. Had he been born just under a month earlier, he would have been too old to enter the conclave.
In an unusual turn of events ahead of the 2025 conclave, the official ages of two African cardinals: John Njue of Kenya and Philippe Ouédraogo of Burkina Faso, were recently revised in the Vatican’s official yearbook, making both eligible to participate in the election of the next pope. This was due to errors in their respective countries’ birth records. However, following a review and submission of new documentation, their dates of birth were corrected, effectively “rejuvenating” them (we like the way the Vatican names things! Wish we could do it to ourselves at times) and restoring their right to enter the Sistine Chapel as electors.
However, not all of these Cardinals will be present at the Conclave and therefore will not be voting.
Cardinals that are eligible to vote but will not be voting in the Conclave:
There are 135 Cardinals under the age of 80 who are eligible to vote; however, this number has been reduced by 2 as of now.
Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera (Spain), seen as an arch-conservative will not take part in the upcoming conclave due to health concerns.
Cardinal John Njue (Kenya) will not travel to Rome, also due to health concerns.
Cardinal Angelo Becciu (Italy), the cardinal at the heart of the Vatican’s “trial of the century” announced on April 29 that he would obey the will of the late Pope Francis and was withdrawing from participating in the upcoming conclave to elect a new pope for “the good of the church.” However, we do not have confirmation of the fact that he is not in attendance.
There were false reports circulating that Cardinal Robert Sarah (Guinea) is not eligible to vote in the upcoming conclave due to his age; however, Cardinal Sarah will only turn 80 years old on June 15, 2025. Therefore, Cardinal Sarah, at age 79, is eligible to vote in the conclave (he is also considered “papabile”…..a potential candidate for the papacy).
Another arch-conservative, Vinko Cardinal Puljić (Bosnia & Herzegovina) was erroneously reported as not taking part, but has since confirmed that he will take part in the Conclave. Originally, it was reported that he would need to remain at Santa Marta; three cardinals would leave the Sistine Chapel for each vote to go to Santa Marta to collect his ballot, perhaps slowing down the vote count (although we can’t see that as much of a time-consuming task). As of June 5, he has announced that he will be joining the Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel rather than voting from Casa Santa Marta.
One participant (although not eligible to vote) will be Hong Kong’s outspoken Cardinal Joseph Zen, Cardinal Zen had his passport confiscated in 2022 as a result of his controversial arrest under a Beijing-imposed national security law. He has now been allowed to leave the southern Chinese city to attend Pope Francis’ funeral in Vatican City. Zen, a 93-year-old retired bishop, will not be eligible to vote. He is among the critics in recent years who have said the Vatican’s agreement with Chinese authorities on the appointment of bishops betrays pro-Vatican Chinese Catholics. He has also criticized Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, the official charged with negotiations with Beijing, as a “man of little faith.” With Cardinal Parolin being one of the contenders to replace Pope Francis, that makes for interesting dynamics.
The College of Cardinals announced on April 30 that all 133 Cardinal electors participating in the upcoming conclave have the right to vote for the new Pope. The above information may now be incorrect and we will try to get the exact number.
Also of interest is the fact that Cardinal Chibly Langlois, bishop of Les Cayes, will be the first Haitian prelate in the Church’s history to participate and vote in a papal conclave.
Needless to say, there was much speculation over several days as to whom would be selected….and history tells us that most, if not all, of the speculation was wrong.
Anyone trying to handicap the outcome should have remembered that Jorge Mario Bergoglio was considered too old to be elected pope in 2013 at age 76, and that Karol Wojtyla wasn’t on any front-runner lists going into the 1978 conclave that elected him Pope John Paul II. And, of course, the oft-repeated expression: “He who goes in to a Conclave as Pope, comes out a Cardinal“, suggesting that cardinals who are considered front runners or favorites are often surprisingly not chosen. So, we’re not placing any bets!
It is no doubt a surprise to many, but we now have a Pope from the U.S.A., Pope Leo XIV,
For what it’s worth, 108 of the electors were appointed by Pope Francis, 22 by his predecessor Pope Benedict and five by Pope John Paul II. You can read into that anything you wish….but, again, we’re taking no bets!
Here is a list of the Cardinals of the Catholic Church and their voting status.
Where the Cardinals were housed during the Conclave:
The Cardinals spend the Conclave housed in private rooms in the Domus Marthae Sanctae (Martha’s House) — essentially a residence hotel in the Vatican with dining facilities that usually houses visiting clergy and laity. As noted above they are cut off from the outside world. Wouldn’t we love to listen in to the conversations over dinner?