The Vatican has announced that cardinals will gather for a secret conclave on 7 May to elect the next Pope, following the death of Pope Francis at the age of 88 on Easter Monday.
The closed-door meeting will take place inside the Sistine Chapel and will involve approximately 135 cardinals from around the world. The conclave marks the beginning of a period of intense deliberation as the Catholic Church seeks a new leader.
It follows the funeral of Pope Francis, which took place on Saturday in St Peter’s Square. Thousands of mourners, including world leaders and members of royalty, attended the somber ceremony to bid farewell to the pope, whose legacy will forever be tied to his global outreach and progressive reforms within the Church.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni confirmed that the conclave will commence with a solemn mass at St Peter’s Basilica, after which the voting cardinals will make their way to the Sistine Chapel.
The atmosphere inside the chapel will be one of secrecy and prayer, as the cardinals will not be allowed to communicate with the outside world once the voting process begins. The conclave is expected to be unpredictable, as there is no set timescale for electing the new pontiff.
The previous two conclaves, held in 2005 and 2013, took just two days to reach a decision, but the process can take longer if the cardinals are unable to reach a consensus. A new pope requires a two-thirds majority, and the balloting will continue until this threshold is met.
In the first afternoon of the conclave, there will be one round of voting, but from the second day onwards, up to four votes may be held each day.
Each cardinal casts a single vote, which is written on a card with the phrase “I elect as Supreme Pontiff” followed by the name of the chosen candidate. If a decision has not been reached by the third day, the cardinals may take a break for prayer before resuming the vote.
Outside the Sistine Chapel, the world will be eagerly watching for the smoke signal from the chimney. Black smoke indicates that no pope has been elected, while white smoke signals that a new leader of the Catholic Church has been chosen.
The Vatican has traditionally used this method to communicate the outcome of the vote to the global public. Pope Francis’ funeral on Saturday was a reflection of the immense respect he commanded on the world stage.
Leaders from across the globe gathered to honor his legacy, which included his advocacy for social justice, his outreach to the poor, and his efforts to promote interfaith dialogue. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re delivered a moving homily during the mass, paying tribute to the Pope’s work.
After the funeral service, a procession took place, with Pope Francis’ coffin carried through the streets of Rome. Thousands lined the streets, clapping and waving as the hearse, a repurposed white popemobile, made its way past some of the city’s most iconic landmarks, including the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and the Altare della Patria national monument.
On Sunday, a poignant image emerged from Pope Francis’ tomb at the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica, where a single white rose was placed on the stone that bore the name he was known by during his pontificate.
The crucifix above the tomb was illuminated by a single spotlight, adding to the solemnity of the moment. The Catholic world now looks ahead to the conclave, hoping for the swift election of a new leader to guide the Church through the challenges of the coming years.