How is the new pope elected? Keys to the Conclave

The process of selecting a new pope follows a careful and studied protocol that has evolved over the centuries. Currently, only cardinals under 80 years of age (called electors) can vote for the successor of St. Peter. On this occasion, 133 cardinals will be locked in the Sistine Chapel without contact with the outside world until the election of the new pontiff, in a process known as Conclave (from the Latin cum clave -under key-).

This is how the election will take place, governed by the apostolic constitution Universi Dominici Gregis, promulgated by John Paul II in 1996.

Preliminaries

The 133 cardinal electors—under 80 years of age—move to the residence of Santa Marta and other Vatican quarters, where they will stay for the duration of the conclave.

After the celebration of the special Mass Pro Eligendo Pontifice, in the afternoon, attired in the choral habit, they gather in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace and, in procession toward the Sistine Chapel, invoke the assistance of the Holy Spirit.

Before the fresco of the Doomsday painted by Michelangelo, the cardinals take an oath with their hand on the Gospel. According to a ritual inherited from the Middle Ages, the master of ceremonies pronounces the phrase "extra omnes" (all out). Those not participating in the election leave the room and then the doors are closed. The goal is for the cardinals to avoid outside influences.

The process of electing the new pope

By lot, three cardinals are designated "scrutators," three more "infirmarii" as in charge of collecting the votes of the sick purpurates and three more as revisors to check the count.

Seated together, the cardinals receive rectangular ballots with the inscription "Eligo in Summum Pontificem" ("I choose as Supreme Pontiff") at the top, with a blank space below.

Voters write the name of their candidate by hand, "in handwriting as unrecognizable as possible," and fold the ballot. In theory, it is forbidden to vote for oneself.

Each cardinal goes in turn to the altar, holding his ballot in the air so that it is clearly visible, and pronounces aloud the following oath in Latin: "I bear witness to Christ the Lord, who will judge me, that I give my vote to the one whom, in the presence of God, I believe should be elected."

He deposits his ballot on a plate and slides it into the ballot box in front of the tellers, bows before the altar and returns to his seat. Cardinals who, because of their state of health are unable to approach the altar, hand their ballot to a teller who deposits it in the ballot box in their place.

The scrutiny

Once all the ballots have been collected, one teller shakes the ballot box to mix them, transfers them to a second container, and then another one counts them. Two tellers write down the names, while a third reads them aloud and pierces the ballots with a needle at the point where the word "Eligo" is found. The scrutineers then verify that no mistakes were made.

If no cardinal received a two-thirds vote, the electors proceed to a new ballot. Except for the first day, two in the morning and two in the afternoon are scheduled until the proclamation of a pope.

The ballots and notes taken by the cardinals are burned in a stove every two rounds of voting. The chimney, visible to the faithful from St. Peter's Square, expels black smoke if no pope was successfully chosen and a white smoke in the case of an election.

After three days of voting without achieving the appointment of a pontiff, the process is suspended for a day of prayer and resumed the following day.

"Habemus Papam"

The elect must answer two questions from the dean: "Do you accept your canonical election for Supreme Pontiff" and "What do you want to be called?" If he answers yes to the first, he becomes pope and bishop of Rome.

One by one, the cardinals express a gesture of respect and obedience to the new pope, before the announcement to the faithful.

From the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, the cardinal protodeacon announces "Habemus papam." The new pontiff then appears and imparts his blessing "urbi et orbi" (To the city and the world).