Cardinals gather for historic conclave to choose new pope in Vatican

On May 7, 2025, approximately 130 Catholic cardinals will start the process of electing a new pope, an event known as the conclave.

The first day of the conclave is primarily dedicated to religious ceremonies and preparatory actions, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign press.

One significant event will be a special mass led by the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re. Following the mass, the cardinals will proceed to the Sistine Chapel to begin the voting process. On the first day of the conclave, typically only one round of voting is conducted. However, in subsequent days, there will be two rounds in the morning and two at noon.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Camerlengo of the Roman Catholic Church, will be in charge of overseeing the entire election process.

The public will learn whether a new pope has been chosen by the smoke signals emerging from a chimney installed in the Sistine Chapel. If the smoke is black, it indicates that no pope has been elected yet, while white smoke will signal the election of a new pope. The smoke results from burning the ballots containing the names of the candidates. To ensure the colour is more vivid and avoid confusion, special chemicals are added to the fire. Once a new pontiff is chosen, the bells will ring, announcing the result to the faithful.

Although it is possible for a pope to be elected on May 7, it is unlikely. A candidate must secure two-thirds of the votes, plus one additional vote, amounting to 89 votes in total. Only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote. Currently, there are 133 cardinals eligible, distributed as follows: 52 from Europe, 23 from Asia, 20 from North America, 17 from South America, 17 from Africa, and 4 from Oceania. Western media sources note that 108 of the current voting cardinals were appointed by Pope Francis.

If a new pope is not chosen after three days of voting, the process will pause for one day to allow the cardinals to pray and reflect. Afterwards, this break will be repeated after every seven rounds of voting. Should no candidate achieve the required number of votes after 12 days, only the two cardinals with the highest number of votes will remain in the race. For the final vote, they too must secure two-thirds of the votes to be elected.

Recent conclaves, including those that elected Pope Francis in 2013, Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, and Pope John Paul II in 1978, typically lasted two to three days. The longest conclave in history lasted almost three years, from 1268 to 1271.

While technically, any Catholic male can be elected pope, since 1378, only cardinals have been selected. Even cardinals over the age of 80 are eligible for the papacy.

Though there is no official list of candidates, speculation is rife about those most likely to be chosen as the next pope. Among the prominent names being discussed are Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi and Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, who are seen as progressive figures and supporters of Pope Francis. Other contenders include conservative Hungarian Cardinal Péter Erdő, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and Friedolin Ambongo Besungu from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, all of whom bring different approaches to addressing various Church issues.

Additional candidates often mentioned by the media include Italian Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Ghanaian Peter Turkson, French Jean-Marc Aveline, Swedish Anders Arborelius, American Joseph Tobin, Portuguese José Tolentino Mendonça, and Spanish Cristóbal López Romero.

The conclave is an ancient tradition, and the name "conclave" comes from the Italian con clave, which means "with a key." This term refers to the cardinals being secluded in the process of electing a new pope, as they cannot leave the designated area until they have made their decision.

Given that voting could extend for several days, the cardinals will stay at the Guest House of Saint Martha, which also served as the residence of Pope Francis. However, with more voting cardinals than available rooms at the guest house, some cardinals may be accommodated elsewhere.

The election process remains highly secretive, with strict rules prohibiting anyone present in the Sistine Chapel from revealing details about the proceedings. Those who violate this rule face automatic excommunication from the Church.

By Tamilla Hasanova