* The closed-door meeting will start inside the Sistine Chapel and will involve some 135 cardinals from across the world
* There is no timescale as to how long it will take to elect the next pope, but the previous two conclaves, held in 2005 and 2013, lasted just two days
Thomas Mackintosh, BBC News
The Vatican has confirmed that Roman Catholic Church Cardinals will meet from May 7 in a secret conclave to elect the next pope — to replace late Pope Francis, who died at the age of 88 on Easter Monday and whose funeral was held on Saturday.
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The closed-door meeting will start inside the Sistine Chapel and will involve some 135 cardinals from across the world.
There is no timescale as to how long it will take to elect the next pope, but the previous two conclaves, held in 2005 and 2013, lasted just two days.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said cardinals will take part in a solemn mass at St Peter’s Basilica, after which those eligible to vote will gather in the Sistine Chapel for the secretive ballot.
Once they enter the Sistine Chapel, cardinals must have no communication with the outside world until a new Pope is elected.
There is only one round of voting on the first afternoon of the conclave, but the cardinals will vote up to four times every day afterwards.
A new pope requires a two-thirds majority — and that can take time with each cardinal casting his vote on a simple card that says, in Latin: “I elect as Supreme Pontiff” to which they add the name of their chosen candidate.
If the conclave completes its third day without reaching a decision, the cardinals may pause for a day of prayer.
Outside the Sistine Chapel the world will be watching for the smoke from the chimney. If the smoke is black, there will be another round of voting. White smoke signals that a new pope has been chosen.
Pope Francis’ funeral in St. Peter’s Square was attended by heads of state, heads of government and monarchs from around the world
Hymns played out on giant speakers, occasionally drowned out by the sound of helicopters flying overhead, before 91-year-old Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re gave a homily on the Pope’s legacy.
After a ceremony, huge crowds lined the streets of Rome to watch as the Pope’s coffin was carried in a procession to his final resting place, Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica.
Authorities said 140,000 people had lined the streets, clapping and waving as the hearse — a repurposed white popemobile — crossed the Tiber River and drove past some of Rome’s most recognisable sights — the Colosseum, the Forum and the Altare della Patria national monument on Piazza Venezia.
On Sunday images of Pope Francis’ tomb at the church were released showing a single white rose lying on the stone that bears the name he was known by during his pontificate, below a crucifix illuminated by a single spotlight.
How the next Pope is chosen
Throughout history, conclaves have brought moments of significant change for the Catholic Church, as each new pope leaves his own mark.
Only senior Catholic leaders known as cardinals — who must be under 80 — are eligible to vote, and the choice of a new pontiff is seen as both a duty and a spiritual responsibility.
Conclaves have been held for centuries, following strict rules designed to protect secrecy and prevent outside influence.
The word ‘conclave’ comes from the Latin cum clave — meaning “with a key” — reflecting the tradition of locking the cardinals away.
Since the 15th Century, elections have taken place inside the Sistine Chapel, beneath its famous Renaissance frescoes.
The process is awaited for by thousands of Catholics in St. Peter’s Square
The last conclave, in 2013, elected Pope Francis after just five rounds of voting, making it one of the quicker decisions in modern times. In earlier centuries, however, disagreements between factions sometimes caused conclaves to stretch on for months.
This time, cardinals will gather once again in Vatican City, an independent state within the heart of Rome, to choose the 267th pope. St Peter, regarded as the first pope in Catholic tradition, was elected around the year 30AD.
Once a new pope is chosen, he will be asked if he accepts the role and the name he wishes to take.
The result will be announced with the appearance of white smoke rising above the Sistine Chapel, signalling that a new pope has been elected.
Until then, the Catholic Church remains in the Sede vacante period, awaiting its next leader.
Late Pope Francis
Inside the conclave
Papal conclaves are notoriously difficult to predict because the election process is shrouded in so much secrecy. Once they enter the Sistine Chapel, cardinals must have no communication with the outside world until a new Pope is elected.
They walk in line, in order of seniority, and place their cards inside the large silver and guilded urn. Three assistants to the camerlengo (the official managing Vatican affairs during a papal vacancy), known as the scrutineers, will then count the votes as they are read out loud.
BBC‘s Davide Ghiglione in Rome says: “Unlike other world governments, these men are not aligned with any particular political parties so one never knows exactly what their priorities are, where they stand on controversial issues and what they will have top of mind when they cast their ballot. All of it adds up to a lot of intrigue and very little certainty.”
It’s not uncommon for conclaves to last a few days — the longest in history lasted two years and nine months, starting in 1268. But after several rule changes to speed up the process over time, the average length of a conclave since the beginning of the 20th century has been three days.
The longest, in 1922, lasted five — both Pope Francis and his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, were elected after two days.
There are also two temporary structures joining the cardinals in the Sistine Chapel for the duration of the conclave.
Two furnaces are installed at the back of the room to burn the ballots and create smoke for the chimney.
The one on the right is used for the burning of the ballot papers and the one on the left is used to generate additional smoke to signal which way the vote has gone.
Chemical compounds are mixed to make the smoke either black or white. The release of white smoke is accompanied by pealing of bells — to avoid confusion for those waiting outside in the Square of St Peter.
What does the Pope do?
The Pope leads the Catholic Church and is celebrated as St Peter’s successor, giving him authority over its 1.4 billion followers. Catholics believe this connects him directly to Jesus Christ, making him a key source of spiritual guidance.
Alongside the Bible, his teachings help shape the Church’s beliefs and practices. Other Christian denominations, such as Protestants and Orthodox Christians, do not recognise his authority.
What’s in a name?
Once a pope is elected, he has to formally accept the job in front of the College of Cardinals, and state his papal name.
In a press conference after his election, Pope Francis said his name honoured St Francis of Assisi, and that he was inspired by his Brazilian friend Cardinal Claudio Hummes.
The pontiff told reporters that when he was proclaimed, Hummes hugged and kissed him, saying: “Do not forget the poor.”
For more than 500 years, popes used their own names. This changed to symbolic names in order to simplify their given names or to refer to previous pontiffs.That is why most popes in history have chosen the name John.
The 10 most popular Pope names—Source: The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 12
After stating his new name, the new pope is taken to the so-called ‘Room of Tears’ — an antechamber in the Sistine Chapel, where he first receives his papal robes and accessories like the white cassock, a cape called the mozzetta and a white skullcap called the zucchetto.
The room earns its nickname from accounts of previous popes who, overwhelmed by the weight of the moment, were moved to tears after their election.
What he chooses to wear from that selection in those first minutes is a personal decision — one that can signal how he sees the role he’s just accepted.
Pope Francis notably declined to wear the elaborate red cope (a ceremonial cloak worn by clergy) with ermine, opting instead for a simple white cassock.
On a balcony in St Peter’s Basilica overlooking the square, the new Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church will introduce himself to hundreds of faithful from all around the world.
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