The to elect a successor to the late Pope Francis will start on May 7, the Vatican confirmed on Monday.
This decision was made in a session of the Congregation for Cardinals, which is currently overseeing arrangements after Pope Francis’ death on April 21.
The voting for Pope Francis’ successor will take place in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, as usual. It was closed to tourists on Monday, to allow for preparations.
What can we expect?
Of the 225 cardinals from all over the world, only 135 cardinals, who are under 80 years old, can officially take part.
The conclave can start nine days after the pope’s funeral and could have begun on May 5. However, cardinals took another two days to make acquaintances and find consensus on a candidate. Older cardinals over 80 years old can take part in the informal talks too.
Many cardinals said they desired to continue Francis’ focus on marginalized groups and against war. Others, however, prefer conservative approaches that refocus on core church doctrines.
“I believe that if Francis has been the pope of surprises, this conclave will be too, as ,” Spanish Cardinal Jose Cobo told El Pais in an interview published on Sunday.
How does the conclave work?
in a process shaped by centuries-old rituals. Starting the conclave, cardinals swear an oath of secrecy about the proceedings and seal themselves off from the world.
This is where the term comes from: “Con clave” (Latin “with a key”) refers to the tradition that the cardinals are locked in a room until they successfully voted for a new pope.
To prevent any outside influence to affect the election, the cardinals cannot use the internet or their phones, read newspapers, watch television or listen to the radio.
The group will live in the Casa Santa Marta hotel inside the Vatican, which was already used for the previous conclave.
While theoretically any baptized male Catholic could become pope, the conclave will elect one of the . There is no official list of candidates.
Each participant writes a name of the person he favors on a slip of paper which says “Eligo in Summum Pontificem… ” (Lat. “I vote for … as pope”). One ballot is held on the first day, followed by four every day after. Each round, the circle of potential figures becomes smaller until the required two-thirds majority is reached.
If the elected individual accepts the vote, he assumes the office of the pope immediately and is asked for his chosen name to use as a pope. The name generally refers to a former pontiff or a saint.
As ballot papers are burned after each vote, smoke rises from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney. With additional chemicals, they emit colored smoke: Black smoke signals that no pope has been elected yet, whereas white smoke announces to the public that a new pope has been found.
Then the Cardinal Proto-Deacon steps out of the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to announce “Habemus papam” (Latin for “We have a pope”).
If, after three days, no pope has been elected, the conclave takes a one-day break to pray and talk. Though conclaves in the past took up to months and years, recent votings lasted no more than a week.
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