Politics Vatican: Election of the new Pope begins on May 7
The election of the successor to the late Pope Francis will begin on May 7. This was decided by the cardinals gathered in Rome, as the Vatican announced on Monday.
28.04.2025, 13:30
28.04.2025, 15:18
SDA
After Francis' death on Easter Monday, the so-called sede vacante - the period without the head of the Catholic Church - began. In order to appoint a successor, all cardinals entitled to vote - the highest dignitaries of the Church - retire to the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican in strict isolation. Contact with the outside world is forbidden during this time. The conclave is an extremely strictly regulated election procedure.
Two Swiss among pope voters
135 cardinals under the age of 80 from all over the world are eligible to vote - but one has already canceled his trip to Rome for health reasons. The vast majority (108) of the cardinals eligible to vote have appointed Francis during his lifetime. There are currently two Swiss cardinals among the churchmen eligible to vote: The former Bishop of Basel, Kurt Koch, and the Vatican diplomat Cardinal Emil Paul Tscherrig.
The conclave can be over after a few hours, but can also last days or weeks: there is no time limit. The longest election began in the fall of 1268, when it took two years, nine months and two days to elect a new pope, Gregory X. In the meantime, however, things are moving more quickly: Francis was elected in 2013 after just over 26 hours and five ballots. His predecessor Pope Benedict XVI from Germany was elected after just four rounds in 2005.
White smoke means: "Habemus papam"
The new pope needs a two-thirds majority to be elected. The first round of voting takes place on the first afternoon. The next round consists of two ballots in the morning and two ballots in the afternoon.
The ballot papers are burned after the ballots. If the ballots are unsuccessful, black smoke rises from the chimney installed on the roof of the Sistine Chapel for the election. After a successful vote, white coloring chemicals are added so that white smoke rises. This is the sign for the people in St. Peter's Square and all over the world that there is a new pope. In Latin: "Habemus papam".
