Conclave: How the New Pope Will be Elected

by Margaux Salcedo

file photo from the Vatican Media

May 7, 2025.

Today is the official start of the conclave that will elect the pope who will succeed Pope Francis.

A two-thirds majority is required to elect a new Pope. As this conclave will have 133 electors, the chosen one will need at least 89 votes.

The elected pope will be the 267th Roman Pontiff.

Pre-Voting

When a pope dies or resigns, the seat of the Pope becomes Sede Vacante. The governance of the Catholic Church then passes on to the College of Cardinals.

The cardinals will then hold a series of meetings at the Vatican called General Congregations. They discuss the needs and the challenges facing the Catholic Church globally.

They will also prepare for the upcoming papal election, also known as the conclave. Decisions that only the pope can make, such as appointing a bishop or convening the Synod of Bishops, must wait till after the election.

The Ballot

The 133 cardinal electors will cast their votes by ballot.

The ballot is rectangular, designed to be folded in half, as prescribed by the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis, with the top half bearing the Latin phrase “Eligo in Summum Pontificem” (“I elect as Supreme Pontiff") and the bottom half left blank for the cardinal to write the name of their chosen candidate.

Each cardinal elector will receive at least two or three ballots. These are distributed by the ceremonial officers.

Pre-Scrutiny

Before voting begins, all non-electors—including the secretary of the College of Cardinals, the Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations, and the ceremonial officers— will leave the Sistine Chapel. The senior cardinal deacon will then close the doors, only opening them only as needed, such as when the infirmarii go to collect the votes of ill cardinals and return.

At this "pre-scrutiny" stage, the senior cardinal deacon draws lots to appoint three 'scrutineers' (to count the votes), three 'infirmarii' (to collect votes from ill cardinals), and three 'revisers' (to verify the count). If any of those selected are unable to fulfill their roles due to illness or other reasons, new names are drawn in their place.  

Voting

Each cardinal elector, in order of precedence, writes his vote on the ballot, folds it, then brings it to the altar. He will then proclaim, "Chiamo a testimone Cristo Signore, il quale mi giudicherà, che il mio voto è dato a colui che, secondo Dio, ritengo debba essere eletto". (“I call as my witness Christ the Lord, who will be my judge, that my vote is given to the one whom I believe should be elected according to God.") After this, the cardinal elector will place his ballot on a plate on the altar which will be used to drop the ballot into a chalice, then bow before the altar before returning to his seat.

If a cardinal is unable to walk to the altar due to illness, he will give his folded ballot to one of the scrutineers, who will then bring it to the altar and deposit it in the same manner.

Counting

After all votes have been cast, the first scrutineer will shake the chalice to mix the ballots. The last scrutineer will then count the ballots one by one, transferring each into an empty container.

If the number of ballots doesn’t match the number of voters, all ballots are burned and a new vote is held immediately.

If the count is correct, the ballots are opened and read by the three scrutineers who will be seated at a table before the altar. The first will read the name written on a ballot and pass it to the second, who will confirm the name and hand it to the third, who will read it aloud for everyone to hear and record the vote.

If two ballots appear to be written by the same person and bear the same name, they count as one vote. If they show different names, both are invalid, though the overall vote remains valid.

Once all ballots have been read and the votes tallied, the final scrutineer pierces each ballot with a needle through the word Eligo and threads them together with string. The ends of the string are tied in a knot, and the ballots are stored for safekeeping.

Tallying

Voting occurs four times daily - twice in the morning, twice in the afternoon. If, after three days, no candidate has been chosen, voting is paused for one day of prayer, informal discussions, and a brief spiritual exhortation by the senior cardinal deacon.

Voting then resumes. After every seven additional rounds without success, another pause and exhortation follow - first by the senior cardinal priest, and later, if necessary, by the senior cardinal bishop.

If still no Pope is elected after 21 votes, a final pause for prayer, dialogue, and reflection is observed. At this point, voting continues — but the cardinals may only choose between the two candidates who received the most votes in the previous round. Even then, a two-thirds majority is still required, and the two candidates in question are not allowed to vote.

Review

Regardless of whether there is a majority or not, at each voting, revisers will carefully verify the count and check the notes made by the scrutineers to ensure everything was carried out correctly. After this, the scrutineers will burn all the ballots in a cast-iron stove. (This was first used in the 1939 conclave.) They will be assisted by the College secretary and the ceremonial officers, who will be summoned by the senior deacon.

If two votes are held in succession, the ballots from both are burned together at the end of the second round.

White Smoke

A second stove, installed in 2005, is connected to a chimney above the Sistine Chapel. This is where the chemicals are added to color the smoke which is visible from St Peter’s Square.

If the smoke is black, it means that no Pope has been elected. If the smoke is white, it means that voting was successful and a new pope has been elected.

Habemus Papam

When a cardinal receives the necessary two-thirds vote, the dean of the College of Cardinals asks him if he accepts his election. If he accepts, he chooses a papal name and is dressed in papal vestments before processing out to the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica.

The ballots of the final round are then burned with chemicals producing white smoke to signal to the world the election of a new pope.

The senior cardinal deacon, currently French Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, will then announce from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, "Habemus Papam" ("We have a pope!").