News from Italy
Who will elect the new Pope and how?
by Alessandro Romano
After Pope Francis passed away on April 21, all eyes in the Catholic Church turned to who would be the 267th Pope. The liberal and conservative cardinals of the old and new orders will determine which school the new Pope will be from with their votes. Will the image of President Trump and Zelensky talking to each other while bowing their heads on two chairs in the heart of the Basilica, a few meters away from the Pope’s coffin, be reflected in the election results? Who will the Latin American cardinals vote for? The Pope, who will support Trump? Or the European school? Or, according to LGBT, child abuse, same-sex marriage, population statistics, energy, finance, and security castes? Depending on the votes of the 138 cardinals eligible to elect a Pope, the progressive or conservative wing will leave the Sistine Chapel victorious.
Let’s leave the Cardinals’ job to them and deal with the process and formalities.
The Pope’s body is usually displayed for three to five days for mourners to pay their respects. The funeral and burial are held between the fourth and sixth day after the Pope’s death. Out of respect for the deceased Pope, official decisions and talks about the Conclave begin after the funeral. However, the backstage discussions about who the new Pope should be do not stop. We can say that the cardinal electors, those who want to be a Pope, and the guidance on the best Pope begin during this period.
The Camerlengo also presides over the Conclave.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, 77, the senior Vatican official who announced Pope Francis’ death on Monday, April 21, will serve as interim administrator of the Vatican until a new Pope is elected. Pope Francis appointed Farrell as Camerlengo in 2019. The Church’s Camerlengo oversees the Conclave and its proceedings. According to Church officials,
The period that begins after the death of the Pope is also known as “sede vacante”, which means “empty seat” in Latin. During this period, approximately 15-20 days after the Pope’s death, the Conclave meets to elect the new Pope.
The Conclave is a council of cardinals that elects a Pope. The word comes from the Latin words “com,” meaning together, and “clavis,” meaning key, emphasising the secrecy with which cardinals hold their discussions and votes behind closed doors.
Who elects the new Pope?
The Cardinals elect the new Pope, who is authorised to attend the Conclave. Cardinals are the highest-ranking clergy in the Catholic Church after the Pope. Originally, cardinals were princes of the papal court. They usually came from influential families in the Papal States. They wear red as a sign of their willingness to shed blood for the Pope and the Church.
Only the Pope can make a clergy member a cardinal, and once appointed, they usually hold the title and position for life. As cardinals, they serve as advisors to the Pope, regardless of where they reside, and often have high positions in the Vatican.
Any member of the Catholic clergy can be a cardinal. Still, the appointment has traditionally been reserved for high-ranking clergy such as bishops and archbishops. However, the Pope has the right to make any member of the Church, including the laity, a cardinal. Francis has expanded the College of Cardinals beyond dioceses and archdioceses to create geographical and cultural diversity and better represent the makeup of the laity and where the Church is growing. The highest duty of a cardinal is to elect a Pope as a member of the Conclave. Those who do this are known as cardinal electors.
One hundred thirty-five votes will make history!
After the Pope dies, all cardinals are summoned to the Vatican for traditional ceremonies and prayers. There are currently 252 cardinals worldwide. However, those under 80 can participate in the Conclave, which is responsible for electing the Pope. According to this rule, 135 cardinals will make a crucial historic vote in the election of the new Pope in the voting process that will start on May 7…
Papabile criteria
All possible or potential papal candidates are known as “papabile”. The candidate’s age is the most important criterion that gives the status of “Papabile” to cardinals. Because a Pope’s term of office ends due to death or resignation, the ideal papal candidate in this context is between 60 and 70. The perfect term in office is also considered 10 to 12 years. The philosophy here is based on the idea of serving the development of the Church. If a very young Pope is elected, he may have to supervise and influence Church doctrine for decades. Conversely, if a very old candidate is elected, he may have little time to make an impact. John Paul II, who was 58 years old when he was elected, was young, and Francis, who was 76, was considered old.
According to Catholic law, any unmarried, baptised clergyman, regardless of gender, is eligible to become Pope. However, when we look at history, we see that only cardinals have been elected for about 700 years.
Secrets Behind the Sistine Chapel Doors…
The voting for the new Pope takes place in the Sistine Chapel. The voting process must be completed in the strictest secrecy. Therefore, technicians first search the building for bugs, cameras, etc. The cardinals are then locked in the Sistine Chapel until the voting is over. Similarly, the Sistine Chapel, the Domus Marthae Sanctae, and other areas are closed to everyone during the Conclave, except for the cardinals and those with specific business (such as service personnel, support staff, and doctors).
During the Conclave, the cardinals reside in private rooms in the Domus Marthae Sanctae, or St. Martha’s House, a Vatican hotel serving as a dining facility and often hosting visiting clergy and laity. The Conclave members are sworn to absolute secrecy and have minimal contact with the outside world: televisions, radios, telephones, cameras, computers, newspapers, and magazines are prohibited, and written or verbal correspondence with anyone outside the Conclave is prohibited. Any handwritten notes that the cardinals may have taken during the proceedings are burned after each morning and afternoon session, along with the ballots. This secrecy continues after the voting is complete and a new Pope is elected. The Pope has the authority to make any statements.
How the Cardinals vote!
Gathered in the impressive surroundings of the magnificent Sistine Chapel, the cardinals of the Conclave write their candidate preference on a paper ballot. Then they fold the ballot paper in half, stand up, and walk towards the altar. The cardinal walks towards the altar, holds the ballot paper with two fingers, and raises it. He then casts his vote into a special cube used for this purpose. To maintain the secrecy of the voting process, the cardinals of the Conclave are instructed to use indecipherable handwriting.
Any member of the Conclave who cannot come to the Sistine Chapel in person due to illness or disability will cast their vote from their rooms in the Domus Marthae Sanctae, where it will be collected, placed in a lockbox and taken to the Sistine Chapel.
Three inspectors then count the votes, verifying what is written on each ballot paper and announcing the results to the council so the cardinals can record their votes. If the number of ballots cast differs from the number of cardinal electors, those ballots are thrown out and burned, and a new vote is taken. The candidate who first secures two-thirds of the votes is elected Pope.
How long does it take to elect a Pope?
There are usually four rounds of voting in one day. If there is no clear choice after three days, voting is suspended for 24 hours to give the cardinal electors time to consider.
Then there are seven more rounds of voting, followed by a break, and so on.
If no Pope was elected after 33 or 34 votes (usually about 13 days), Pope Benedict XVI introduced a new rule requiring the two leading candidates determined by the previous votes to participate in a second round of voting. If the candidates are members of the Conclave, they cannot vote in the second round but do participate. The candidate who receives the necessary two-thirds majority becomes the new Pope.
A Pope may be elected immediately after the first vote, or the process may continue indefinitely. However, no Conclave has lasted more than four days since 1831.
White Smoke – Black Smoke
Of course, the public is also aware of what is happening in the Sistine Chapel. However, this information is limited to the smoke. With each vote, smoke that announces whether the Pope has been elected rises from a chimney at the top of the Sistine Chapel. The use of smoke signals dates back to the early days of the Church when communication was not as advanced as it is today. Black smoke indicates an uncertain ballot, while white smoke conveys that a new Pope has been elected. With the white smoke, the St. Peter’s Basilica bells ring to announce the event to the world.
However, this much-anticipated global smoke is not created by burning ballot papers, as is commonly believed. It is made in a stove from the 1922 Conclave, a significant event in the history of the Catholic Church, which was installed in the Sistine Chapel for the occasion. The smoke from the chimney is created using chemical pellets, which are burned in another stove connected to the stovepipe chimney that was temporarily erected on top of the Sistine Chapel for this purpose.
The New Pope Coming with White Smoke
If the elected cardinal accepts the position, the identity of the new Pope will be announced one hour after the final vote. Before the new Pope is presented to the public, he is also asked what name he will be known by. While popes can keep their baptismal names, every Pope for the last 470 years has chosen to change their name. The name the Pope chooses is a banner that defines his mission. Bergoglio chose the name of St. Francis, who rejected his wealthy father’s existence and decided to live a simple life among the poor, helping those in need, animals and protecting the environment. He lived a simple, low-key life like him throughout his papacy, symbolising his commitment to humility and service.
The new Pope is then attired in temporary vestments prepared in various sizes for the occasion. He awaits his formal introduction by the senior cardinal deacon, who stands on the balcony on the facade of St. Peter’s Basilica, overlooking St. Peter’s Square, and declares in Latin: “Nuntio vobis gaudium magnum: habemus papam” – “I announce to you a great joy: We have a Pope.”
The new Pope then enters the balcony, where the world awaits him. He delivers his first prayer to the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square, a solemn moment that marks the beginning of his papacy.
About a week later, a ceremonial mass is held in St. Peter’s Square, or St. Peter’s Basilica, with the participation of cardinals, bishops, and other international dignitaries. This tradition has been upheld for centuries and is a testament to the event’s historical importance.
When does the Conclave end?
The Conclave ends when the new Pope confirms his election, but the assembled cardinals remain in the Vatican until the ceremonies are over.
On Wednesday, 7 May 2025, at 10.00 am Rome time, Holy Mass “Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice” in St. Peter’s Basilica, celebrated by Giovanni Battista Cardinal Re, Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals (and a non-elector Cardinal).
As provided for by the Ordo Rituum Conclavis, the Solemn Procession into the Sistine Chapel of the Cardinals Electors for the Conclave and the oath for the Roman Pontiff election will occur at 4.30 pm.