Following the loss of life of Pope Francis, the 2025 Papal Conclave has begun as cardinals collect contained in the Sistine Chapel to elect the subsequent chief of the Catholic Church. With the world watching intently, the sacred voting course of is underway to find out who will succeed him as the subsequent pope.
Below, discover out all the pieces it’s worthwhile to know concerning the conclave—what it’s, who’s concerned, and the newest updates on whether or not a brand new pope has been elected.
White smoke! The 133 Cardinal electors gathered within the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel have elected the brand new Pope. He will seem quickly on the central window of St. Peter’s Basilica. pic.twitter.com/XejI7mY43m
— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) May 8, 2025
What Is the Conclave?
Following the loss of life of a pope, a funeral is held. In accordance with Pope Francis’s needs, his coffin was displayed open at St. Peter’s Basilica to permit the general public to pay their respects. Afterward, the College of Cardinals gathers to elect the subsequent pope in a course of generally known as the conclave.
The conclave is a secretive meeting of Roman Catholic cardinals held contained in the Sistine Chapel. Sequestered from the skin world, the cardinals forged their votes in a centuries-old ritual till a candidate receives a two-thirds majority. Historically, conclaves have lasted anyplace from a couple of days to a number of months. In trendy instances, they usually conclude inside a couple of days.
Is There a New Pope Yet?
According to Vatican News, a brand new pope has been chosen: Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who will probably be generally known as Pope Leo XIV. Previously, black smoke had risen from the Sistine Chapel chimney, signaling that voting was nonetheless ongoing. Now, on May 8, 2025, white smoke has appeared, indicating {that a} pope has been chosen. The world continues to attend for white smoke, which is able to announce {that a} new pope has been chosen.
Until then, the governance of the Catholic Church rests with the Camerlengo—presently Cardinal Kevin Farrell—who’s chargeable for overseeing the Vatican’s day by day operations through the sede vacante.
Who Are the Cardinals?
The conclave consists of 120 voting cardinals from all over the world. Traditionally, the subsequent pope is chosen from amongst them. According to Reuters and Associated Press, a number of the outstanding contenders are:
- Jean-Marc Aveline, archbishop of Marseille, 66 years previous, French
- Cardinal Péter Erdő, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, 72 years previous, Hungarian
- Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary common of the Synod of Bishops, 68 years previous, Maltese
- Cardinal Juan Jose Omella, archbishop of Barcelona, 79 years previous, Spanish
- Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican diplomat, 70 years previous, Italian
- Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle; Pro-Prefect, Dicastery for Evangelization underneath Francis, 67 years previous; Filipino
- Cardinal Joseph Tobin, archbishop of Newark, N.J., 72 years previous, American
- Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, Vatican official; 76 years previous; Ghanaian
- Matteo Maria Zuppi, archbishop of Bologna, 69 years previous, Italian
- Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, Congolese, Archbishop of Kinshasa, 65 years previous