The Vatican will elect a new pope. What you need to know

Pope Francis died on April 21 at the age of 88. He has held the Holy See since 2013. After his death, a conclave will be convened to elect a new head of the Catholic Church. How the voting is going and who will be his favorite is in the Izvestia article.

Conclave – what is it, who is included

• A conclave is an assembly of all cardinals who are able to participate in the election of the pope. The conclave cannot include cardinals who are over 80 years old the day before the death or resignation of the pontiff. The conclave is limited to 120 members, but there is no indication if their number will be exceeded. Currently, there are 252 cardinals, of whom 135 have the right to choose.

• There is also a category of cardinals in pectore who were appointed by the Pope in secret. Such cardinals lose their status with the death of the pontiff, if their appointment was never announced during their lifetime, therefore they will not be able to participate in the election of the pope (but they can be elected).

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• The conclave is often referred to as the election process itself, during which cardinals are locked up for several days in the Vatican Palace (conclave translates from Latin as "locked room"). The electors remain cut off from the rest of the world until a new pope is elected. It is possible to open the door only in case of illness or death of one of the cardinals, as well as in case of arrival of a late elector. Violation of isolation and communication with the outside world can be punished by excommunication from the church.

How to choose a pope

To be elected Pope, two-thirds of the votes must be cast, as well as one more if the number of electors is not divisible by three. In 2025, with 135 electors remaining, at least 90 votes will be required. If their number is reduced to 120, then 80 votes will be required. Voting is taking place in the Sistine Chapel.

• During the voting, the cardinals write on the ballot the name of the one they consider worthy of election as Pope. The ballots are folded and handed over to the counting commission of three cardinals chosen by lot. The Commission verifies that the number of ballots matches the number of electors, counts and announces the results, after which it immediately burns the ballots.

• There is one vote on the first day of the conclave. If the pope was not elected as a result, no more than four new rounds will take place from the next day, and the burning of ballots takes place after every two rounds. After three days of unsuccessful voting, a break is announced. If the voting drags on to 33 rounds, then only the two cardinals with the most votes will remain candidates. Two-thirds of the votes will also be required for election, but the participants themselves will no longer be able to cast ballots.

• If the vote did not lead to a result, black smoke is emitted over the Sistine Chapel. If the vote has taken place and a new pope has been elected, white smoke is released and the bells are rung. The color of the smoke depends on the chemicals that are added to the stove to the logs. The tradition of announcing the results of voting by using smoke has existed since 1274.

• After the election, the new pope is asked if he accepts the election as pontiff. Since 1621, all popes have answered this question with consent. The new head of the church chooses a new name and dresses in white robes, after which he receives congratulations from the cardinals. Then the cardinal-protodeacon goes to the main loggia of St. Peter's Basilica and announces the name of the new pope. The pontiff himself appears next and gives the first blessing to the flock.

Can a woman become Pope

• In order to become Pope, it is theoretically enough to be a Catholic man who can be legally ordained a priest. This excludes the possibility of choosing a woman as the head of the church, since back in 1024 it was established that a woman could not be a priest. There is a legend about Pope John, who allegedly led the church in the middle of the 9th century, but in reality at that time the pope was Benedict III.

• As a rule, to be elected pope, one must not only be an ordained priest, but also be a bishop and cardinal. However, this is not a requirement. If necessary, immediately after the election, the pope can be ordained a bishop and enter the College of Cardinals. However, the history of such cases has not been known since the Middle Ages.

When is the election of the new pope

• The conclave usually meets 15 days after the death of the pope. By this time, the pontiff's funeral is already taking place and the nine-day mourning period is coming to an end. The exact date is set by the congregation in charge of the daily affairs of the church. Elections can be scheduled for up to 20 days after death, so that all cardinals can arrive at the Vatican in time.

• The date of the current conclave has not yet been announced. It may start on May 6, unless extraordinary situations occur. The last time the conclave was convened was in 2013 after the resignation of Benedict XVI. He officially left the throne on February 28, and the conclave met on March 12. The election of the new pontiff, who became Francis, took place the next day.

Who can become the new pope

One of the main contenders for the Holy See may be 69-year-old Italian Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi. He is the Archbishop of Bologna and heads the Italian Episcopal Conference, an association of the country's bishops. Zuppi first attracted widespread attention in 1992, when he became one of the mediators in the peace agreement that ended the civil war in Mozambique. For his participation in the negotiations, he became an honorary citizen of this country. More than 30 years later, Pope Francis made Zuppi his envoy on the Ukrainian conflict and entrusted him with negotiating on behalf of the Vatican. Zuppi is considered the same reformer as Francis was, and may have the broad support of Italian cardinals, none of whom have been the head of the Catholic Church for almost half a century.

• The possible election of Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, Archbishop of Kinshasa from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is widely discussed. He may become the first African and black pope since the beginning of the Middle Ages. Ambongo Bezungu is the informal leader of Africa, where the Catholic faith is currently taking off. He became widely known in 2023 when he criticized Fiducia supplicans for blessing same-sex marriage. However, the disadvantages of the Congolese cardinal are his age — at 65, he will be considered too young for the papacy.

• One of the contenders is Italian Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Vatican, the administrative head of state. He has extensive diplomatic and managerial experience, but is little known as a priest, which should be important for a religious leader.

• Among the representatives of South America, where Francis was from, stands out the Argentinian Victor Manuel Fernandez. He had known the former pope for a long time and is considered his protégé. Fernandes heads the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith, a department of the Roman Curia responsible for the study of doctrine and morality. Francis' predecessor Benedict XVI ascended to the Holy See from the same position. 62-year-old Fernandez has too liberal a reputation, he will be expected to continue his reform course.