Happy Conclave Day to those who celebrate!
The scarlet cassocks are pressed, the holy drip is immaculate, and Vatican City has officially gone into airplane mode.
Beneath Michelangelo‘s greatest hits, the College of Cardinals are, at this very moment, swearing an oath of secrecy and preparing to begin the mysterious process to elect the next supreme pontiff.
Everyone… it’s time. We made it. The Conclave has officially begun.
Let the holiest lock-in to ever grace the internet begin.
As soon as the master of pontifical celebrations utters the words, “extra omnes,” a Latin phrase meaning “everybody out,” the Vatican will shut their doors, giving everybody the boot (including the internet sadly) to begin their secret election.
(Side note: 15-year-old me studying Latin would have been SO hyped for the Conclave.)
Will it be Cardinal Tagle, a progressive favorite? Or will it be the conservative Cardinal Erdo? Only time will tell.
But while we all sit glued to the Papal chimney livestream waiting for the white smoke to rise, here’s a roundup of the funniest Conclave reactions the internet has to offer.
The Memes
The Cardinals Watched Conclave to prepare for the actual Conclave.
It’s true. According to Politico, most of the current Cardinals have never experienced a real-life Conclave. So, what did they do? They watched the 2024 Oscar-nominated film starring Ralph Fiennes to prepare for the complex and secretive ritual.
“Some have watched it in the cinema,” a cleric admitted.
the cardinals going on ao3 after the watch party pic.twitter.com/VB2soUh61s https://t.co/YO1nUwWybq
— Flo 🍸🦩🐝🪞 (@Klaine8468) May 7, 2025
do you think the cardinals watched conclave together and were pointing at the screen going ‘that one’s you’
— jelly bean ✨ (@shecononmyclave) May 7, 2025
Apparently, crowds started to gather to watch the red-robbed divas descend on the Vatican 10 hours before the ceremony began.
This is where we tweet from pic.twitter.com/7vS8Mos7u3
— Pope Crave (@ClubConcrave) May 7, 2025
At home, people donned their holiest of holy fits in preparation for the big livestream.
Outfit to livestream the Conclave pic.twitter.com/xd9ecqmSZr
— Christa Sydney (@christasyd) May 7, 2025
The Cardinal Tagle fangirling is about to reach new heavenly heights.
🇻🇦 Photos of Luis Tagle’s first #Conclave 2025 rehearsal have been released.[📷 Alma Bengtsson, Corinne Cumming, Sarah Louise Bennett / Vatican Radio] pic.twitter.com/7yicCjuizu
— 🌻 toffee oliver | 🇵🇹 (@nohighwaycowboy) May 7, 2025
Happy conclave day MAY GOD GRANT US A WOKE POPE https://t.co/5sxH3MjV6I
— normal @ cfxx E-46 DAY 1 (@hailtherethere) May 7, 2025
The divas have entered the chapel. We repeat the divas have entered the chapel.
THE DIVAS ARE SEQUESTERED‼️‼️‼️ https://t.co/7ac4SyZ32D
— Pope Crave (@ClubConcrave) May 7, 2025
Turns out, real-life Conclave is a lot like the movie.
cardinal re got the whole tl gagged pic.twitter.com/WniSqFwiMq
— esmir (@ukepichu) May 7, 2025
Guys, he said it: “extra omnes.“ It’s officially officially Conclave time.
NOW – Papal conclave begins, Sistine Chapel. pic.twitter.com/HWPKr6KmMO
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) May 7, 2025
It’s CONCLAVE time pic.twitter.com/PH3hvlaXbM
— Pope Crave (@ClubConcrave) May 7, 2025
“extra omnes” pic.twitter.com/JngVtQaepM
— lena conclavista (@mmokapot) May 7, 2025
Get on that chimney livestream now!!
waiting for the white smoke like pic.twitter.com/1GNAc1eIDS
— gab (@kenobitrinity) May 7, 2025
Just know that when a senior Cardinal steps onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and proclaims “habemus papam.”
It means we have a Pope.
You can mess with your Catholic friends by tweeting “HABEMUS PAPAM” at various times throughout the day
— Dr. Alexander Zawacki (@AChillGhost) May 7, 2025
The post The Pope Conclave Produced the Funniest Memes appeared first on The Daily Beast.