Over one hundred cardinals from around the world will select the next leader of the Catholic church.
On Wednesday, May 7, the Papal conclave officially begun in Vatican City, where 133 cardinals will be at for the election of the next pope, succeeding the late Pope Francis.
Of which, there are three Filipino cardinals, namely Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Cardinal Jose F. Advincula, and Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David.
To begin the occasion, the cardinals in their red robes proceeded into St. Peter’s Basilica to hold votive Mass Pro Eligendo Papa mass, hours before the official start of the selection process.
In the afternoon, the cardinal-electors will then make their procession to the Sistine Chapel from Casa Santa Marta, where they are currently residing for the duration of the conclave.
At the end of the procession inside the Sistine Chapel, each Cardinal elector are required to take the oath as prescribed in paragraph 53 of the Universi Dominici Gregis.
The Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations will then proclaim extra omnes, with individuals not part of the conclave all required to leave the Sistine Chapel.
Throughout this process, members of the College of Cardinals are forbidden to send communication or engage in conversations—which are only reserved for extremely urgent scenarios, to receive print materials, and tune into broadcasts.
With the first day due to begin in the afternoon (Vatican), there will be only one ballot for the day. However, in the following days, there shall be four ballots, with votings held throughout the day.
At least two-thirds majority of the cardinal-electors being present inside the Sistine Chapel is required to validly elect the next Pope.
After the votes are counted, all ballots are burned, regardless of its result.
A black smoke from the chimney would mean nothing conclusive has been reached yet, but the much-anticipated white smoke spells a new era in the Catholic church with a new Pope already elected at that point.
Following another process immediately succeeding the conclave, the new Pope shall be proclaimed with a ceremony at the balcony of the St. Peter’s Basilica, where the Latin sentence “Habemus Papam” would be recited by the cardinal protodeacon.
The 2025 conclave sets to elect the 267th Pope in the history of the church, who will also be the third to be proclaimed in this millennium—following Pope Benedict XVI (2005) and Pope Francis (2013).