Inside the papal conclave: What to know about picking a new pope
It's a centuries-old process that takes place in secret, a sacred task entrusted to a small group of men who will choose the spiritual and pastoral leader for the world's 1.4 billion Roman Catholics after the death of Pope Francis.
The last time this happened, in 2013, Catholics weren't mourning the death of the Holy Father; instead, they were reeling from the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, something that hadn't happened in six centuries. Jorge Mario Bergoglio, an Argentinian who would choose his name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, was chosen as Benedict's successor in just 28 hours, the first pope to come from the Americas.
The papal conclave will convene in Rome on May 7 as the church's 135 cardinals sequester in the Sistine Chapel to vote on the successor to Francis, who died April 21 at 88. We won't know what they discuss. We won't know who receives serious consideration or what qualities and qualifications the cardinals value most. If anyone is openly campaigning for the job, they can only do so among their peers and not publicly.
What direction will the new pope lead the church in − will he continue Francis' progressive pushes or be more conservative like Benedict? We don't know. How long will it take? That's anyone's guess. Who will be chosen? Again, it's anyone's guess, though there are some leading contenders.
But here's what we do know about how a new pope is chosen.
Who votes to select a new pope?
The College of Cardinals is a collective of the most senior church officials from the Vatican and around the world. Only cardinals younger than 80 years old are allowed to participate in the conclave, a limit that was enacted in 1975.
The cardinals come from 71 countries across five continents, according to Vatican News, and 108 of the 135 cardinals were appointed by Pope Francis. (Twenty-two were appointed by Benedict, and 5 by Pope John Paul II.)
How long will a conclave take?
Time can be irrelevant to the selection of a pope. It takes as long as it takes.
While it took the College of Cardinals a little over a day (28 hours) to choose Pope Francis, the process once dragged on for years − three years, in the 13th century, until the cardinals finally selected Gregory X. Modern conclaves have been mercifully short, though, with the longest one in the 20th century taking just five days.
What is the voting process like?
Typically, there is a vote on the first day, then two each morning and two each afternoon.
A two-thirds majority is required. If three days pass without a consensus, the electors can take a break as long as one day for "prayer, free discussion among voters and a brief spiritual exhortation."
What does black smoke mean? What does white smoke mean?
After each round of voting, the cardinals burn slips of paper treated with different chemicals to let the world know whether anyone has received the required two-thirds vote (and accepted the papacy). Black smoke means the vote was inconclusive; white smoke signals a new pope will soon lead the Roman Catholic Church.