As dawn broke over Rome, solemn bells echoed through the city, signaling the start of a sacred and historic event: the beginning of the papal conclave.
The College of Cardinals assembled at Saint Peter’s Basilica, commencing the day with morning prayer in preparation for selecting the Catholic Church’s next leader.
Faithful worshippers gathered in the colonnaded square outside the grand basilica, drawn by the spiritual gravity of the moment.
Inside, the sight was striking, numerous cardinals, dressed in vivid red embroidered vestments and white mitres, participated in the mass.
A number of cardinals, wearing bright red embroidedered vestments and white mitres, listen and read along as they attend mass at Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome to begin the papal conclave.
This pivotal moment arrives following the death of Pope Francis, who passed away on Easter Monday, April 21, after twelve transformative years as the Church’s 266th pontiff.
Notably, his influence will continue to shape the Church’s direction: he personally appointed nearly 80% of the electors who now bear the responsibility of choosing his successor.
Beyond the numbers lies a deeper legacy. Francis, the first pope from Latin America, intentionally expanded the Church’s reach.
This College of Cardinals is the most geographically and racially diverse ever assembled.
His vision of global representation is reflected in the composition of the current electors. For the first time in the Church’s history, European cardinals form less than half of the conclave.
Though Italy leads in numbers with 17 cardinals, followed by the U.S. (10) and Brazil (7), Francis appointed 163 new cardinals across more than 70 nations—many from previously unrepresented regions.
Though he appointed Latin American and Scandinavian cardinals, the greatest number of appointments came from Africa and Asia.
As tradition demands, the process of selecting a new pope is shrouded in secrecy.
On Monday, officials, conclave staff and the College of Cardinals took an oath of secrecy regarding all matters related to the election.
This vow, rooted in Pope John Paul II’s 1996 apostolic constitution Universi Dominici Gregis, forbids any form of communication about the election,including recordings, under penalty of excommunication. Those who take the oath are bound by it for life, unless released by the new pontiff.
The length of the conclave remains uncertain. It may conclude swiftly, as in 2013 when Francis was elected on the first day, or it may extend for weeks.
The Church’s longest conclave, which took nearly three years, ended in 1271 with the election of Gregory X, who went on to formalize the conclave system with the papal bull Ubi periculum.
This week, 133 cardinal-electors will formally begin the process. On Wednesday morning at 10:00 am local time, they will celebrate the Pro Eligendo Romano Pontefice mass at Saint Peter’s Basilica.
By 10:30 am, the cardinals will move to the Pauline Chapel to chant the Litany of Saints before heading to the Sistine Chapel to commence voting.
Each elector, a potential successor, solemnly accepts the call to carry the mantle of Saint Peter.
All voting cardinals, each a potential successor to Francis, swear an oath to fulfill the mission of Peter, the first leader of the Catholic church, known as the ‘Munus Petrinium,’ should they be elected.
Once inside the Sistine Chapel, the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Ceremonies will declare:
> “Extra omnes”—“everyone out”—signaling all non-electors to exit.
Following a final meditation by Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa and the liturgical master, the voting begins. The electors are sealed in, and ballots are cast under the frescoed ceiling of Michelangelo’s masterpiece.
Unless a pope is chosen on the initial vote Wednesday evening, the process continues with two voting sessions each morning and evening until consensus is reached. After each round, ballots are burned in a special stove within the chapel. The color of the smoke rising from the chimney offers the only clue to the outside world.
> “Famously, ballots are burned after each round of voting. The smoke eminating from a special chimney installed in the chapel informs the outside world of the result, with black smoke indicating the failure to find a leader and white smoke letting the world know that a new pope has been found.”
Speculation is already swirling over potential successors. Many are hoping for a pontiff from Africa or Asia. One prominent figure is Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines, who, like Francis, is known for championing the marginalized.
> “Many would like the next pope to come from either Asia or Africa. Like Francis, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Asia’s largest Catholic nation, the Philippines, has embraced marginalized communities.”
Meanwhile, global curiosity about the conclave has surged, fueled in part by popular media.
> “The death of Pope Francis sparked a renewed interest in the ‘Conclave’ movie about the fictional election of a new pope.”
“The success of the Oscar-winning film — based on a best-selling book — has in turn ramped up interest in the real-life conclave taking place in the Vatican City.”
As the world watches the Sistine Chapel’s chimney with anticipation, the Church stands on the threshold of a new era, waiting for the moment when white smoke will signal the emergence of the next shepherd of the Catholic faithful.