Pope Francis creates 21 new cardinals, three of them Spaniards
(Vatican City) — A conclave will soon be scheduled to select the next leader of the Catholic Church, now that Pope Francis has passed away. As they did when Francis was elected in 2013, eligible cardinals from the College of Cardinals will meet in the Sistine Chapel to vote for a new pope. They’ll have no ability to leave or communicate with the outside world until a decision is made.
While any baptized Roman Catholic male can technically be elected as Pontiff, the Pope has traditionally been chosen from the College of Cardinals since the 14th Century. There are currently 17 cardinals in the United States. Italy, by comparison, has 51. Cardinals under the age of 80 vote by secret ballot until a candidate gets two-thirds of the vote. If black smoke rises from the chapel’s chimney after a vote count that means there’s no decision, white smoke indicates a new pope has been selected. The conclave will likely happen within the next few weeks.
