Cardinals begin sacred and secretive process to elect new pope

VATICAN CITY. In a moment charged with tradition, suspense, and global attention, 133 cardinals from around the world entered the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday to begin the conclave, the solemn and secret process of electing the next pope, the 267th leader of the 1.4 billion-strong Roman Catholic Church.

This conclave, the most geographically diverse in the Church’s 2,000-year history, includes cardinals from 70 nations. It comes in the wake of Pope Francis’ resignation due to health reasons and caps off a historic 12-year papacy marked by progressive reforms and global outreach.

Francis personally appointed 108 of the 133 cardinal-electors, drawing heavily from nations across the Global South, including Mongolia, Tonga, and Sweden—countries never before represented in a conclave. His choices, which exceeded the traditional 120-cardinal limit, and his emphasis on younger clergy from the periphery of the Catholic world, have brought an air of unpredictability to a ritual steeped in secrecy.

After celebrating a final pre-conclave Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica—presided over by the 91-year-old dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re—the cardinals proceeded in solemn procession to the Sistine Chapel. There, they sang the haunting “Litany of the Saints” and the Latin hymn “Veni Creator Spiritus”, invoking the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

In the chapel, standing beneath Michelangelo’s imposing “Last Judgment”, each cardinal swore an oath of secrecy:
“So help me God and these Holy Gospels, which I touch with my hand.”

They pledged to avoid “any interference, opposition or any other form of intervention” from outside forces, a vow meant to shield the sacred decision from worldly influence.

Following this, Archbishop Diego Ravelli, the master of papal ceremonies, pronounced “Extra omnes,” Latin for “everyone out,” prompting all non-electors to leave as the chapel doors were shut.

Each cardinal writes his vote on a paper that reads “Eligo in Summen Pontificem” (“I elect as Supreme Pontiff”). Ballots are cast individually at the altar with the declaration:
“I call as my witness, Christ the Lord, who will be my judge, that my vote is given to the one who, before God, I think should be elected.”

The folded ballots are then collected in a gold and silver urn, counted by scrutineers, pierced with a needle through the word “Eligo”, and tied with thread. After the tally, they are burned in a chapel stove along with chemicals

black smoke for no decision, white smoke to announce a new pope.

Although a vote is not required on the first day, the cardinals typically cast one. If no winner emerges, they may vote up to four times a day, two in the morning and two in the afternoon, until one candidate receives the necessary two-thirds majority (89 votes).

Historically, conclaves have varied in length. Pope John Paul I was elected on the third ballot, Pope John Paul II on the eighth, and Pope Francis on the fifth in 2013.

Many cardinals admitted they had little time to become familiar with each other before the conclave, leading some to speculate that the voting process may take longer than usual. “Wait and see, a little patience, wait and see,” advised Cardinal Mario Zenari, the Vatican’s ambassador to Syria, as he entered the final pre-vote discussions.

Outside the Vatican, advocacy efforts surged. Young Catholics issued open letters insisting there is no Church without youth, women, and lay voices. Survivors of clergy sexual abuse urged the selection of a pope committed to transparency and reform. Supporters of women’s ordination released pink smoke over the Vatican in a symbolic gesture for gender equality in the Church.

Who Could Be Next?

While identifying frontrunners in a conclave is notoriously speculative, three names have surfaced repeatedly among observers:

• Cardinal Pietro Parolin (Italy, 70) – Secretary of State and a key figure in Francis’ administration.
  
• Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle (Philippines, 67) – Head of the Vatican’s evangelization office and potential first Asian pope.
  
• Cardinal Péter Erdő (Hungary, 72) – A conservative archbishop and legal scholar from Budapest.
  

The next pope will face daunting challenges: whether to continue Pope Francis’ path of reform and inclusion, especially in matters concerning women, LGBTQ+ Catholics, the environment, and migrants, or to reverse course and seek to heal internal divisions. The ongoing clergy abuse crisis remains a critical issue hovering over the process.

For now, the world watches and waits for the signal from the Sistine Chapel chimney. When white smoke rises and the words “Habemus Papam” echo through St. Peter’s Square, a new chapter in Catholic history will begin.