07.05.2025 18:22
A total of 133 cardinals affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church gathered in the Vatican to elect the new pope and the new head of state of the Vatican. The result of the election, which has many candidates, will be announced by the color of the smoke that comes out of the chimney.
Cardinals affiliated with the Christian Catholic Church gather in the Vatican to elect the new pope and the new head of state of the Vatican; the election result will be announced by the color of the smoke that will come out of the chapel's chimney.
Following the death of the spiritual leader of Catholics and the President of the Vatican State, Pope Francis, on April 21, 133 cardinals from around the world gathered at St. Peter's Basilica before the meeting (Conclave) held to determine the new pope.
A LARGE NUMBER OF CANDIDATES WILL COMPETE
Among the prominent candidates for the papacy are Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo, American Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, Italian Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, Italian Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson, French Cardinal Jean Marc Aveline, Swedish Cardinal Anders Arborelius, Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah, Maltese Cardinal Mario Grech, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Cardinals Timothy Dolan and Robert Francis Prevost from the United States.
CALL TO CARDINALS
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, who led the mass held at the basilica before the conclave, called on the cardinals to choose a leader who can guide the Catholic Church in a "difficult and complex" period. Cardinal Re stated, "This is a strong call to preserve the unity of the church. This unity does not mean uniformity; it means a solid and deep unity within diversity."
COMMUNICATION WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD CUT OFF
Re emphasized that the voting is of "extraordinary importance" and that the cardinals must set aside all personal thoughts.
Additionally, to prevent those participating in the Conclave from communicating with the outside world, mobile signals were disabled within the Vatican grounds.
The 133 electors, who will enter the Sistine Chapel for the first session accompanied by hymns to determine the pope, will swear on the Bible that they will not share any details.
ONLY 1 VOTE WILL BE HELD TODAY
In a ritual dating back to the Middle Ages, the cardinals will vote to select their new leader, who will be the successor of Saint Peter, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ and recognized as the "first pope" by the Catholic Church. The cardinals will hold a secret session today to elect the 267th pope of the Catholic Church, conducting only one vote. The cardinals can vote a maximum of 4 times a day.
15 COUNTRIES HAVE CARDINALS FOR THE FIRST TIME
In the conclave that began today, cardinals from 71 different countries across 6 continents participated. The late Pope Francis appointed cardinals from many countries that had never had a cardinal before, including the Central African Republic, Haiti, Malaysia, Myanmar, Paraguay, and Singapore, resulting in 15 countries being represented by electing cardinals for the first time in their history.
IT MAY LAST FOR DAYS
Due to the fact that no pope has been elected on the first day of the conclave for centuries, it is anticipated that it may take several days for one of the cardinals to gain the support of the two-thirds majority needed to be elected pope.
IT WILL BE ANNOUNCED WITH WHITE SMOKE
After the voting, the burning of the ballots and the appearance of black smoke from the chapel's chimney will indicate that the voting was inconclusive. The appearance of white smoke from the chimney and the ringing of bells will announce that the new leader of the Catholic Church, which has 1.4 billion members, has been elected.
If the cardinals do not achieve the expected two-thirds majority in the first vote, they will return to the Casa Santa Marta guesthouse where they are staying for dinner. During this process, the cardinals will evaluate candidates who received more than 20 votes and seek a consensus.
GARON AND KITCHEN STAFF WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO LEAVE THE COMPOUND
According to reports in the Italian media, the waiters and kitchen staff at the guesthouse have also taken a vow of secrecy, and they will not be allowed to leave the compound while the Conclave continues. While the cardinals consult and vote in search of consensus, thousands of Catholics outside the Sistine Chapel will be waiting for the white smoke that announces the election of the new pope.