06 May 2025, Vatican, Vatikanstadt: Cardinals Ruben Salazar Gomez (l-r), Luis Jose Rueda Aparicio and Jorge Enrique Jiménez Carvajal are escorted by Italian police officers on their way to the General Congregation of Cardinals in the Vatican. The conclave to elect a new pope begins on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. This Tuesday, the cardinals will meet for the last time to prepare for the election. The profile of a possible successor to the late Pope Francis will also be discussed. Photo: Oliver Weiken/dpa/Sipa USA
Vatican: Before the conclave – final preparations for the papal election
(Rome) — The College of Cardinals will meet Wednesday at the Vatican to start the process of selecting a new pope. They have been prepping for the upcoming papal election, called a conclave, in Vatican City. Conclaves are held in the Sistine Chapel and have historically lasted an average of four days. The candidate needs a two-thirds majority to become Pope. Ballots used in the last round are burnt and used to create smoke signals. Black smoke means a failed election while white means a successful one.
Pope Francis appointed 80 percent of the cardinals who will select a new pope. This will be the largest and most geographically diverse conclave of Cardinals ever. Among them is Newark, New Jersey Cardinal Joseph Tobin who says there’s no clear front runner for pope right now.
Sunday marked the end of a formal mourning period in the Catholic Church for Pope Francis. The nine-days of mourning began with the pope’s funeral in Saint Peter’s Square at the Vatican.
