The sacred process of selecting a new pope began this week in Vatican City as 133 cardinal electors gathered in the Sistine Chapel to commence the 2025 conclave.
Black smoke billowed from the chapel’s chimney Wednesday evening, signaling to the waiting world that no candidate had yet secured the required two-thirds majority to become the next leader of the Catholic Church.
A historic moment following Pope Francis’ death
The conclave comes just 16 days after Pope Francis died on April 21 at the age of 88, concluding his 12-year leadership of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. This carefully orchestrated selection process follows centuries of tradition and carries immense significance for the Church’s future direction.
Prior to entering the conclave, the cardinals celebrated a final Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals. In his address, he emphasized the weight of their responsibility during what he described as “this difficult and complex turning point in history.”
Cardinal Giovanni Battista told the assembled electors they were gathered “to invoke the help of the Holy Spirit, to implore his light and strength so that the pope elected may be whom the Church and humanity need.”
The most diverse conclave in history
The 2025 conclave represents the most diverse gathering of papal electors ever, with cardinals from at least 70 different countries across six continents. This diversity reflects the global nature of modern Catholicism and brings varied perspectives to this sacred duty.
Following tradition, the cardinals processed from the Pauline Chapel in the Apostolic Palace to the adjoining Sistine Chapel, where each took a solemn oath of secrecy. This oath binds them to maintain complete confidentiality about all aspects of the election process, both during and after the conclave.
Ancient ritual meets modern security
Inside the Sistine Chapel, beneath Michelangelo’s iconic ceiling, Archbishop Diego Ravelli, the Vatican’s master of ceremonies, declared “extra omnes” (“everyone out”), clearing all non-electors from the space. The doors were then locked, creating the literal ‘conclave’ (meaning ‘with key’) from which the process derives its name.
Cardinal electors surrender their digital devices for the duration to preserve the integrity and secrecy of their deliberations. This enforced digital detachment creates a stark contrast to the global attention fixed on the chapel’s chimney, where smoke signals announce voting results in a centuries-old tradition.
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The path forward
After Wednesday’s initial round of voting yielded no consensus, the cardinals will resume the process Thursday morning. They’ll continue voting until someone receives the required supermajority, at which point white smoke will rise from the chimney, announcing to the world that a new pope has been chosen.
While conclaves have historically varied in length — some lasting days or even weeks — many Vatican observers expect this one to conclude relatively quickly. Until then, the world watches that small chimney above the Sistine Chapel, waiting for the white smoke that will herald a new chapter in Catholic history.
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