On Wednesday, May 7, cardinals from around the world are set to gather for the conclave at the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. There, they will elect a new pontiff who will lead the Roman Catholic Church, following the death of Pope Francis on April 21.
For a pope to be elected, the College of Cardinals must come to a two-thirds majority vote. Conclaves usually proceed with the first ballot in the afternoon of the first day and, for the succeeding days, two ballots each morning and afternoon. If a decision still hasn’t been reached by the third day, the cardinal electors take a day off to pray and reflect on their vote.
But what exactly happens in a conclave? How long does it take? And who’s the next pope? Here’s what we know.
No Outsiders Allowed
The word “conclave” comes from the Latin “cum clave,” which translates to “with a key,” as the process happens completely behind closed doors. The Vatican even conducts a security sweep of the facilities and uses signal jammers to ensure that nothing is leaked to the public.
For the most part, we don’t know what happens during a conclave. What we do know is that cardinals are sequestered: sleeping, eating, campaigning among one another, and voting in complete isolation from the rest of the world. While they have not yet elected a new pope, they can only move between the Sistine Chapel and the Domus Sanctae Marthae — the Vatican guesthouse where Francis chose to reside during his papacy.
How do we know the cardinal electors have chosen a pope? Since 1914, the Vatican has used smoke from the chimney to indicate the results of the conclave: black smoke for a failed ballot and white smoke if the College of Cardinals has successfully elected the new Bishop of Rome.
The Longest Conclave Lasted Three Years
The longest conclave happened from 1268 to 1271, when Italian and French cardinals fought to bring the Church’s seat of power to their territories.
Fortunately, the conclave in 2025 may not take so long, according to historian Darius Von Guttner. He told Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the conclave may only reach three days — not years — as the last two conclaves only took two days.
It’s the Most Diverse Conclave Yet
Of 252 cardinals in the world, only 133 make up the College of Cardinals voting in the conclave, as cardinals over 80 years old cannot vote. The cardinal electors currently represent 70 countries, making this year’s conclave the most geographically diverse in Church history.
Among these electors are Filipino Cardinals Jose Advincula, Pablo Virgilio “Ambo” David, and Luis Antonio Tagle — who is being touted as a strong follow-up to Francis for his progressive views.
The Asian Cardinals May Vote As A Block
Japanese Cardinal Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi told Italian newspaper La Repubblica that many of the cardinals from Asia plan to vote as a block.
Voting blocks and factions aren’t new in the Vatican, as shown by the three-year conclave. Another example is the 1721 conclave, where the College of Cardinals was divided into four factions that also voted for different political and curial interests.
Today, cardinals might not be scrambling to move the seat of the Roman Catholic Church to their own countries, but the conclave remains politically relevant in a world with a Catholic population of 1.4 billion.
As the cardinals stay sequestered for the conclave, we don’t know who the Asian block will be voting for — much less, who will emerge as the next pope. All we can do now is wait for the white smoke.
