The Holy See announced today that the Conclave to elect the successor to Pope Francis will officially begin on 7 May 2025. The announcement follows the funeral of Pope Francis, who was laid to rest with solemn rites on Saturday in the Basilica of St Mary Major — a church he dearly loved throughout his pontificate.
Following established tradition, the College of Cardinals will gather in the Sistine Chapel to elect the 267th Successor of Saint Peter. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, has been overseeing the interregnum period (the “sede vacante”) and the preparations for the Conclave.
A total of 135 cardinal electors — all under the age of 80 — are eligible to vote. Their geographic distribution reflects the global nature of the Church today:
- 53 from Europe,
- 23 from Asia,
- 20 from North America,
- 18 from Africa,
- 17 from South America, and
- 4 from Oceania.
England currently has four Cardinals, three of whom are eligible to vote: Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster; Cardinal Arthur Roche, Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments; and Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe, O.P., a Dominican. The fourth English Cardinal, Michael Fitzgerald, was created a cardinal by Pope Francis at the 2019 consistory; he is now 87 years old and therefore not eligible to vote in a conclave.
The Conclave Process
The term “conclave” comes from the Latin cum clave, meaning “with a key,” symbolising the strict secrecy under which the cardinals gather, locked away until a new pope is chosen. The cardinals will first participate in a solemn Mass, Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice (“For the Election of the Roman Pontiff”), invoking the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Afterwards, they will process into the Sistine Chapel, where voting begins.
Each cardinal writes the name of his chosen candidate on a specially prepared ballot, folds it, and places it on a paten before sliding it into a chalice. After each round of voting, the ballots are burned. Chemicals are added to the smoke to signal the result to the outside world: black smoke (fumata nera) means no decision has been made, while white smoke (fumata bianca) announces the election of a new pope.
A two-thirds majority is required for a valid election. Once a cardinal is chosen and accepts, he is asked, “Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?” Upon acceptance, he then chooses his papal name. The senior Cardinal Deacon subsequently steps onto the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica to proclaim, “Habemus Papam!” — “We have a Pope!”
A Brief History
The Conclave tradition as it is known today took shape during the 13th century, following the death of Pope Clement IV. After a lengthy papal vacancy, local authorities in Viterbo locked the cardinals in the episcopal palace to hasten their decision — an early precedent for the enclosed nature of the Conclave.
Since then, the process has evolved but remains deeply rooted in centuries of prayerful discernment and secrecy. The Sistine Chapel, adorned by Michelangelo’s stunning frescoes of the Last Judgment and the Creation of Adam, serves as a fitting reminder of the gravity and sacredness of the choice the cardinals are about to make.
As the universal Church now enters a period of prayer and anticipation, Catholics around the world are invited to unite in asking the Holy Spirit to guide the cardinals in choosing the next Shepherd of the Church.
