When does the conclave start and how does it work?
The conclave to elect Pope Francis’s successor begins on Wednesday.
The cardinals have assembled in Rome and will soon be locked away in the Sistine Chapel, cut off from the outside world as they debate who should be the next head of the Catholic Church.
The rituals of the event are elaborate and date back centuries. So how does the process work?
Sometimes the cardinals choose a surprise pick for pope. Pic: Reuters
Who is taking part in conclave?
Of the 252 current cardinals, there are 133 who are eligible to vote (those under the age of 80): 52 from Europe; 23 from Asia; 20 from North America; 17 from Africa; 17 from South America; and four from Oceania.
Italy has the most cardinals who can vote, with 17, while the US has 10 and Brazil has seven. The UK has three.
Ahead of the conclave they swear an oath of secrecy, vowing to never divulge what takes place behind the conclave doors. The punishment for breaking it is excommunication.
Cardinals also hand over their mobile phones before going into conclave, and don’t get them back until the end.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell – the Camerlengo, or chamberlain, who announced Francis’s death – is the interim chief of the Catholic Church and is in charge of running the meetings.
Use our slider below to look through some of the key contenders to be the next pope. For more on who the different cardinals are, read our explainer story.
Cardinals have been gathering in Rome since the death of Pope Francis. Pic: Reuters
The conclave begins
Once the conclave begins, the cardinals will not emerge from the Vatican until a new pope has been chosen. The word “conclave” comes from Latin, meaning “with key” – a reference to the isolation in which the cardinals are kept.
Once everyone is inside the Sistine Chapel, it will be pronounced the “Extra Omnes!” (from Latin, meaning “Everyone else out!”) and from that moment the cardinals won’t have any contact with the outside world.
Cardinals take their oath of secrecy ahead of the conclave in 2005. Pic: AP
For however long the conclave lasts, cardinals will meet in the Sistine Chapel and sleep in the Casa Santa Marta guesthouse inside the Vatican, either walking between the two or taking a special bus.
Anyone who tries to interfere with the conclave faces excommunication, officially being excluded from participation in the sacraments and services of the church.
There will be one vote on the first day (Wednesday) and four votes on each subsequent day – two in the morning and two in the afternoon.
![Newly installed tables for next week's conclave stand under Michaelangelo's frescoes in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel April 16, 2005. [When Roman Catholic cardinals vote in the Vatican for a new pope next week, they will swear an oath before God in Latin and then cast ballots written in the Church's official language.]](https://e3.365dm.com/25/04/768x432/skynews-sistine-chapel-michaelangelo_6899927.jpg?20250428153050)
Newly installed tables for conclave in the Sistine Chapel. Pic: Reuters
How long can it last?
The longest conclave lasted almost three years, between 1268 and 1271.
Several have lasted only one day.
The most recent conclaves – for Pope Francis in 2013, Pope Benedict XVI in 2005 and Pope John Paul II in 1978 – all lasted less than three days.
A man holds a newspaper with the list of cardinals outside the Vatican. Pic Reuters
Except for the first day, when only one ballot is held, the cardinals hold four daily votes – two in the morning, two in the afternoon – until one candidate has a majority of two-thirds plus one. In this case the required number is 89.
A variety of factors can influence who is ultimately picked for pontiff, and a number of factions within the cardinals are likely to be pushing for different candidates.
Read more:
Who could be the next pope?
What are the chances of a UK pope?
How accurate is the film Conclave?
How do we know if a decision has been reached?
Yes, this is the black smoke, white smoke part.
If the cardinals have not reached a majority, the cards and the tally sheets are placed in a stove and burned with an additive to produce black smoke, showing the outside world that a pope has not yet been chosen.
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Vatican chimney installed ahead of conclave
For black smoke, the ballots are mixed with cartridges containing potassium perchlorate, anthracene (a component of coal tar), and sulphur. For white smoke, the burning ballots are mixed with potassium chlorate, lactose and chloroform resin.
Watching for the tell-tale smoke arising from the top of the Sistine Chapel is a tradition, with Catholics crowding into St Peter’s Square for the spectacle.
If no result has been reached after three days, the sessions are suspended for a day to allow for prayer
and discussion. More ballots are held until a two-thirds majority is reached.
No pope yet… black smoke rising from the Sistine Chapel. Pic: Reuters
When enough cardinals have agreed on a candidate, he is asked if he accepts the papacy and by which name he wishes to be known.
The ballots are burned as before, but with the recipe for white smoke to signal to the world that the Throne of St Peter will soon have a new occupant.
New pope proclaimed
The new pope then dons his new papal vestments – tailors keep large, medium and small sizes ready – and sits on a throne in the Sistine Chapel to receive the other cardinals who file up to pay homage and swear obedience to the church’s new leader.
The senior cardinal deacon then steps out on to the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica overlooking the square and announces in Latin: “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum. Habemus Papam” (I announce to you a great joy. We have a pope) and reveals the cardinal’s name and the name he has chosen.
Pope Francis addresses crowds in St Peter’s Square in 2013 after being proclaimed pope. Pic: Reuters
The new pope then appears on the balcony to deliver his first public pontifical greeting and bless the crowds in St Peter’s Square.
A few days later, he celebrates a mass that marks the beginning of his papal ministry.
US Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been chosen as the new pope.
Senior cardinal Dominique Mamberti came out onto St Peter’s balcony to announce the new pope to cheering crowds as thousands of people gathered in the square below, saying the famous Latin words: “Habemus Papam”, meaning “we have a pope”.
The 69-year-old will take the name Leo XIV – and greeted thousands of faithful from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica as the new head of the Catholic Church.
Speaking in Italian, the pontiff says Pope Francis was always “courageous and blessed Rome”.
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Moment new pope emerges on balcony
“The pope that blessed Rome gave his blessing to the whole world on that Easter morning,” he says.
“Together we must try to find out how to be a church that builds bridges, establishes dialogue and is open to receives everybody.
“Let us follow up that blessing. God loves us and God loves all of you.
“Sin will not prevail, we are all in the hands of God.”
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost poses after being elevated to the rank of cardinal at the Vatican, September 30, 2023 REUTERS/Yara Nardi
The pope went on to speak in Spanish, nodding to his time as a missionary, and said: “I would particularly like to say hello to my compatriots from Peru.
“It was a great pleasure for me to work in Peru.”
The new pontiff was chosen on the second day of the conclave after white smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel at just after 5pm (UK time) on Thursday.
Some 133 cardinals gathered in Rome before being led into the Sistine Chapel on 7 May to start the conclave – the secretive process to decide the new pontiff.
They handed over their phones before entering the building, which had been swept for hidden cameras, recording equipment, and bugs.
The windows were also covered to keep the outside world out and to stop drones from spying.
Each cardinal swore an oath of secrecy. They did not emerge from the Vatican until the new pope was chosen.
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Conclave: Behind the scenes
To be elected, the new pontiff had to win a two-thirds majority (89 votes). Afterwards, he was asked whether he accepted the papacy and by which name he wished to be known.
When the pope was chosen, the ballots were burned in a stove with an additive to produce white smoke that billowed from a chimney to alert onlookers that the decision had been made.
Previously, the ballots were burned with an additive to produce black smoke, indicating that the pope had not yet been chosen.
The election comes after Pope Francis died on 21 April at the age of 88 from a stroke and heart failure.
More than 250,000 people gathered at the Vatican for his funeral on 27 April.
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The Vatican has announced the first ever American leader of the Catholic Church – Robert Prevost, who will be known as Pope Leo XIV.
The 69-year-old cardinal was born in Chicago and spent many years as a missionary in Peru.
Follow live updates: New pope elected
He was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2023 and appointed head of the dicastery for bishops, a powerful position responsible for selecting new bishops.
As cardinal, he said little on key issues of the church, but some of his positions are known.
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost in September 2023. Pic: Reuters
He is reportedly very close to Francis’s vision regarding the environment, outreach to the poor and migrants. He said in 2024 “the bishop is not supposed to be a little prince sitting in his kingdom”.
He also supported Pope Francis’s stance on allowing divorced and remarried Catholics to receive Holy Communion. However, he only showed mild support for Francis allowing priests to bless same-sex couples.
Pope Leo has years of experience in leadership roles within the church.
He was twice elected to the top position of the Augustinian religious order and Francis clearly had an eye on his progress – moving him from the Augustinian leadership back to Peru in 2014, where he served as administrator and later archbishop of Chiclayo.
He acquired Peruvian citizenship in 2015 and remained in that role until 2023, when Francis brought him to Rome.
While there has long been a taboo against an American pope – given the geopolitical power the US already wields – Leo was being promoted as a “compromise candidate” ahead of the conclave. The amount of time he has spent in Peru also allows him to be seen as a more universal candidate rather than American.
The world learned a new pope had been chosen at around 6.08pm local time (5.08pm UK time) on Thursday as white smoke suddenly emerged from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.
Read more:
First US pope chosen
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New pope elected by conclave
The 133 cardinals sequestered in the chapel picked the new leader of the Catholic Church on the second day of the conclave.
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As the smoke appeared, cheers went up in St Peter’s Square, where thousands of people had gathered in the hope of witnessing history.
Just over an hour later, the Pope was introduced on the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica as a crowd of an estimated 50,000 people looked on.
India’s airstrikes on Pakistani-controlled Kashmir after last month’s deadly militant attack on the Indian-administered side of the disputed region have raised fears of a dangerous escalation in the conflict.
It is not yet known what specific weapons were used in Wednesday’s early morning strikes which Delhi said targeted “terrorist camps”, though Islamabad said civilian infrastructure, including mosques, was hit.
However, India is reported to have deployed Rafale jets equipped with SCALP air-to-ground cruise missiles.
The nuclear-armed neighbours have been boosting their military capabilities since they clashed in a series of border skirmishes in 2019.
As of 2024, India has 36 Rafale jets, eight two-seat variants and 28 single-seat variants, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
The aircraft were acquired under a 2016 inter-governmental agreement between India and France, which included a weapons package. This package featured MICA and SCALP missiles.
Between 2020 and 2024, around a third of India’s arms imports came from France, said the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Pakistan claimed to have shot down five Indian aircraft, including three Rafale jets, on Wednesday following the Indian attack.
If this was the case, the Pakistani military would have used surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). According to IISS, Pakistan has more than 200 SAMs. Although, for context, India has well over 800 across their armed forces.
How do India and Pakistan rank?
India’s overall military capability significantly exceeds that of Pakistan.
It ranks fourth in the world compared to Pakistan’s 12th place, according to Global Firepower’s index, which considers a range of factors to assess military strength.
In terms of personnel, India has 1,237,000 active personnel in its army, 75,000 in the navy and 149,900 air force.
Pakistan has fewer than half that with 560,000 active personnel in the army, 30,000 in the navy and 70,000 in the air force.
Soldiers from the Indian army (left) and Pakistani army (right). Pic: Reuters
India’s armed forces twice the size of Pakistan’s
Sky’s security and defence analyst Professor Michael Clarke said: “The Indian forces are about double the size of Pakistan’s forces… if it came to a war, India will win.”
He added: “If it’s below the level of a war, if it’s some sort of military confrontation, then Pakistan might think it could get something out of it.”
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The two forces have similar nuclear capabilities. India has an estimated 180 nuclear warheads, while Pakistan has around 170, according to US thinktank the Federation of American Scientists.
However, experts agree that it is unlikely that either side will use their nuclear powers at this stage.
Professor Clarke said: “Nuclear weapons would only be used by any country if its existence is at stake. Nothing that happens in Kashmir threatens the existence of Pakistan or India.”
The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.
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