Q&A: How will the new pope be elected?

As the Church around the world continues to mourn and pray for Pope Francis, the cardinals of the Catholic Church are preparing to elect the next pope. The conclave begins on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. 

From the Sistine Chapel where the election takes place, the cardinals will use smoke signals to communicate with the outside world. Black smoke indicates they have cast their votes without anyone garnering the necessary two-thirds majority, while white smoke confirms that the Catholic Church has a new pope.

The apostolic constitution Universi Dominici Gregis ("Shepherd of the Lord's Whole Flock”) gives instructions for what happens relative to a papal death and subsequent election. It was issued by Saint John Paul II in 1996 and amended by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007 and again in 2013.
 
Read on for answers to common questions about the papal election process.

How is a new pope chosen?
A new pope is elected by the cardinals of the Catholic Church who are under the age of 80. They meet in a closed session, called a conclave, with secret balloting. The voting is done in an atmosphere of constant prayer, calling upon the Holy Spirit to help guide the choice of the new pope, who will be the vicar of Christ. Election requires a two-thirds supermajority. Except for the first day when only one ballot is cast, the cardinals normally vote four times daily. However, if after 33 votes no one has two-thirds, the top two candidates are to have a run-off.

Do cardinals campaign for the papacy?
Campaigning for the papacy is considered so disgraceful that anyone suspected of doing so is said to disqualify himself from consideration.  However, because the cardinals come from all around the world, the meetings that they hold before the conclave begins help them begin to discern who among them might have the best qualities to be the pope.

How long will the conclave last?
The current rules are designed to produce an election within about 12-13 days at most. However, the last conclave to last longer than 5 days was the 54 days of balloting for Pope Gregory XVI in 1830-1831. Both Pope Francis in 2013 and Pope Benedict XVI in 2005 were elected on the second day of voting.

How many cardinals are eligible to vote?
When Pope Francis died, 135 cardinals were eligible to vote for his successor. Only cardinals who have not turned 80 before the pope’s death may vote. As sometimes happens, two eligible cardinals withdrew for health reasons, so the number of electors in the Sistine Chapel is now expected to be 133. Before the cardinal-electors are sequestered for the conclave, older cardinals can participate in their discussions, called General Congregations, about what sort of pope would best serve the Church. 

How do the cardinals prepare for a conclave?
As the cardinals gathered in Rome to mourn Pope Francis, they met daily in Synod Hall, close to Saint Peter’s Basilic, for General Congregations. The first such gathering occurred the day after his death. They worked on funeral preparations for Pope Francis and set a date for the conclave. After the funeral, they focused on discerning what qualities and qualifications they believe the Holy Spirit wants them to seek in a new pope.

Although cardinals are free to travel around Rome during these days, no outsiders may be present for their discussions about the future of the papacy, and buildings in Vatican City are electronically jammed to prevent electronic eavesdropping.

How many nationalities do the cardinal-electors represent?
Of the 135 original cardinal-electors, 53 (39.25%) are from Europe; 23 (17%) from Asia; 18 (13.33%) from Africa; 17 (12.59%) from South America; 16 (11.85%) from North America; and four each from Central America (2.96%) and Oceania (2.96%). Ten cardinal-electors are from the United States. The country with the most cardinal-electors is Italy, with 17.

Which American cardinals will vote in the conclave?
The cardinal-electors from the United States are: Cardinal Raymond Burke, 76, retired Vatican official, originally from Wisconsin; Cardinal Blase Cupich, 76, Archbishop of Chicago; Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, 75, Archbishop emeritus of Galveston-Houston, originally from Pittsburgh; Cardinal Timothy Dolan, 75, Archbishop of New York; Cardinal Kevin Farrell, 77, Vatican official, previously bishop of the Diocese of Dallas; Cardinal Wilton Gregory, 77, Archbishop emeritus of Washington, DC; Cardinal James Harvey, 75, Vatican official originally from Wisconsin; Cardinal Robert McElroy, 71, Archbishop of Washington, DC; Cardinal Robert Prevost, 69, Vatican official originally from Illinois; Cardinal Joseph Tobin, 72, Archbishop of Newark.

Where do the cardinal-electors live during the conclave?
On the day the conclave begins, all cardinal-electors move into the Casa Santa Marta – a hotel-sized guesthouse for official visitors to the Vatican. Pope John Paul II built it in 1996 with the goal of also providing secure, modern housing to the electors during a conclave. Cardinal Re will preside at a Mass with them in Saint Peter’s Basilica, after which all communications will be shut down. That afternoon they will process into the Sistine Chapel to begin voting.

Where do the cardinals vote?
All voting takes place in the Sistine Chapel, beneath Michaelangelo’s frescoes of the Last Judgment. These are intended to remind the cardinals that they will answer to God for their choice. The chapel, usually open to tourists in the Vatican Museums, will have been closed to the public and prepared for voting. In addition to tables and anti-surveillance technology, the chapel is fitted with a special stove in which to burn the ballots. The stove is supposed to produce black smoke if no one has been elected, and white if a new pope has been chosen. The smoke can be seen from Saint Peter’s Square.

How does the conclave begin?
After the cardinals process into the Sistine Chapel to start the conclave and take their oaths of secrecy, the papal master of liturgical ceremonies proclaims "extra omnes" ("everyone out"). The cardinals will then listen to 90-year-old Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, who they chose to offer a meditation "concerning the grave duty incumbent on them and thus on the need to act with right intention for the good of the Universal Church."

Cardinal Cantalamessa, a world-renowned preacher, was appointed preacher of the papal household by Pope John Paul II in 1980 and was reappointed by Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis. In that position for 44 years, he preached to the pope and many of his advisors. He retired in late 2024.

After his homily, there will be prayers and an explanation of the rules for the election of a pope.
The cardinals will decide whether they want to cast their first ballots that evening. They chose to have a first ballot in the evening during the 2005 conclave that elected Pope Benedict and the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis.

The cardinals' ballots, mixed with a chemical coloring, are burned in a stove in the Sistine Chapel. Different chemicals produce either white or black smoke, providing updates to the outside world.

Beginning the second day, they vote four times daily until they reach the necessary two-thirds majority. If, after three days, no one is elected, the cardinal electors break for a day of prayer and reflection. 
 
If, after seven more ballots, there is still no pope, they take another break. If there is no pope after 33 ballots, the rules require a run-off between the top candidates.
 
What happens immediately after the pope is elected?
The senior cardinal first asks him if he accepts the election. If he does, he immediately becomes pope at that moment, the white smoke is sent up, and the bells of Saint Peter’s Basilica are rung. The new pope chooses a new name, typically related to saints or popes whose example he wants to follow. He is vested in the papal white cassock, choosing from among several sizes that have been prepared for the occasion. The senior cardinal-deacon, currently Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, head of the Vatican’s highest court, will introduce him publicly from the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica. He will use the Latin “habemus papam” for “we have a pope” and give his old and new names. The new pope will greet the people, then bless the city of Rome and the entire world.