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Following the death of Pope Francis, the Catholic Church is preparing for one of its most sacred traditions: the conclave.
The process sees cardinals from around the world gather to elect the next pope.
Here’s a breakdown of what the conclave is, how long it lasts, and when it will take place.
What is the conclave?
Over its 2,000-year history, spanning three millennia, the Catholic Church has had 266 popes.
When a pope dies, cardinals arrive at the Vatican to elect a replacement in a process called the conclave.
It’s a centuries-old tradition that takes place in the Sistine Chapel — the famous hall decorated with the art of Michelangelo. Here, cardinals from around the world gather to cast anonymous votes for who they believe the next pope should be.
The Sistine Chapel is sealed off during the conclave to ensure total secrecy. No phones, media, or contact with the outside world is permitted.
Cardinals vote up to four times a day. They write their nominated names on white slips, which are counted by officials.
After each round of voting, the ballots are burned in a custom stove. If no pope is elected, black smoke rises from the chapel chimney — a sign to the outside world that voting is continuing.
White smoke signals a new pope has been elected, and the process is over.
Edward Berger’s 2024 film Conclave starred Ralph Fiennes in a fictitious exploration of the conclave process. Source: AP / Philippe Antonello
How many cardinals vote in the conclave?
Only cardinals under the age of 80 can cast their vote for the new pope.
In 2025, there are 252 cardinals. While all of them can take part in the deliberations about who should be chosen, only those under 80 years old can vote.
This means there are only 135 eligible cardinal electors.
The country with the most eligible cardinal voters is Italy with 17, followed by the United States with 10 and Brazil with 7.
Just four are from the Oceania region, including Ukrainian-born Australian-based
When will the conclave take place?
The conclave usually begins between 15 to 20 days after the pope’s death. This means the conclave is expected to gather between 6 May and 11 May.
The Vatican will confirm the exact date once the official mourning rituals, or ‘novemdiales’, are completed.
How long does the conclave last?
There’s no set time period that conclaves last for. Voting continues until a candidate receives a two-thirds-plus-one majority.
In the past, conclaves have ranged from just one day to years. The longest was nearly three years (from 1268 to 1271) with the election of Pope Gregory X.
In more recent times, the process is typically resolved within a few days. The conclave that elected Francis in 2013 took five rounds of voting.
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