How is a new Pope chosen? Papal conclave rules, traditions, who votes, smoke, and how long will it take?

Thomas Reese: What happens in a papal conclave?

The voting is highly choreographed and time-consuming to avoid any possibility of fraud or doubt about the results.

How is a new Pope chosen? Papal conclave rules, traditions, who votes, smoke, and how long will it take?

Here’s how the next Pope will be selected.

Explainer: The papal conclave - Religion Media Centre

The process to elect a successor to Pope Francis, who died on 21 April, is now under way with the conclave — the balloting — beginning on Wednesday 7 May. Catherine Pepinster explains what the conclave involves, who takes part, and what kind of pope is likely to be elected What is a conclave? A conclave is a secret election to elect a new pope, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. It can be called either after the death of a pope or, rarely,…

Conversation with Cardinal Dolan: May 3, 2025 - The Good Newsroom

Conversation with Cardinal Dolan: May 3, 2025 Podcasts, Cardinal Dolan | 05/3/2025 By: Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan On this week’s Conversation with Cardinal Dolan, Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Lino Rulli speak to us from Rome about the ongoing meetings of the Cardinals and preparations for the upcoming conclave. …

The papal conclave will begin on May 7. The closed process will take place in the Sistine Chapel, and 133 cardinals will participate in the election. Although many details of the process are secret, it is known that four rounds of voting will be held daily until one of the cardinals wins a two-thirds majority. This process usually lasts 15 to 20 days. A week before the process of electing a new bishop of Rome begins, who are the cardinals who ar…

Conclave: Going inside and exploring the history of a papal election - Catholic Review

Few events on the world stage create more attention than a papal election. People everywhere, Catholic and non-Catholic, are riveted by the news as they watch the church transition from one Vicar of Christ to another. Everyone waits anxiously for the white smoke from the Sistine Chapel that indicates a new pope has been chosen and it is proclaimed,”Habemus papam” (“We have a pope”). Papal history is filled with interesting times and situations f…