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2025 papal conclave

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Papal conclave
May 2025
Dates and location
Began on 7 May 2025
Sistine Chapel, Apostolic Palace,
Vatican City
Key officials
DeanGiovanni Battista Re
Sub-deanLeonardo Sandri
CamerlengoKevin Farrell
ProtopriestMichael Michai Kitbunchu
ProtodeaconDominique Mamberti
SecretaryIlson de Jesus Montanari
Election
Electors133 (list)
CandidatesSee papabili
Ballots3 (no pope elected)
← 2013

A papal conclave began on 7 May 2025 to elect a new pope to succeed Francis, who had died on 21 April 2025.[1][2] Of the 135 eligible cardinal electors, 133 attended; 89 votes (two-thirds) are needed to elect a pope.[3]

Francis was previously elected with the 2013 papal conclave, and served 12 years in the papacy. Keeping with John Paul II's 1996 apostolic constitution Universi Dominici gregis, as modified by Benedict XVI's 2013 motu proprio Normas nonnullas, the cardinals had at least 15 days after the see became vacant to convene. On 28 April 2025, the fifth general congregation of the cardinals set the conclave to begin on 7 May. Media commentary on the papabili, known as those essentially 'pope-able', listed Anders Arborelius, Jean-Marc Aveline, Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, Péter Erdő, Mario Grech, Pietro Parolin, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Robert Francis Prevost, Robert Sarah, Luis Antonio Tagle, Peter Turkson, and Matteo Zuppi as being among those with the best chances.

Following the death of Pope Francis, preparations began at Domus Sanctae Marthae for housing the cardinal electors, including setting up barriers or opaque film at the windows to prevent outside contact, as well as the construction of spaces for the celebration of the Sacrament of Penance, private prayer, and meals. The process of selecting the new pope is highly secretive, with contact being inhibited through signal jammers eliminating communication utilizing Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and mobile networks. The Vatican Gendarmerie, under the leadership of Gianluca Gauzzi Broccoletti, faces many counter-espionage challenges in protecting conclave integrity, with possible threats to the integrity including artificial intelligence systems, drones, microscopic microphones, misinformation campaigns, the ubiquity of social media, and even satellites. The Gendarmerie are using the 650 security cameras in the Vatican, as well as encrypted messaging along with endpoint detection and response to secure the conclave.

Papal election process

Main article: Papal conclave

As in the 2013 papal conclave, the dean and vice-dean of the College of Cardinals are both over 80 and ineligible to participate. The most senior cardinal bishop under 80, Pietro Parolin, will thus preside over the conclave;[4] the present dean, Giovanni Battista Re, similarly presided over the 2013 conclave in the place of then-dean Angelo Sodano.

Timing and procedures

According to John Paul II's 1996 apostolic constitution Universi Dominici gregis, as modified by Benedict XVI's 2013 motu proprio Normas nonnullas, the cardinals had at least 15 days after the see became vacant to convene. The cardinals had the discretion to start the conclave earlier if all of those eligible to participate have arrived, or later if there are serious reasons for a deferral, but no later than 20 days after the seat becomes vacant.[5] On 28 April 2025, the fifth general congregation of the cardinals set the conclave to begin on 7 May 2025.[6][7]

Cardinal electors

Main article: Cardinal electors in the 2025 papal conclave
Cardinal electors by region
Graphic with the numbers of cardinal electors in attendance from each region (see table below)
Region Number
  Italy
 17
  Rest of Europe
 35
  Africa
 17
  Asia
 23
  Oceania
 4
  North America
 20
  South America
 17
Total 133

Cardinals aged 80 years or older before the day the papacy fell vacant are ineligible to participate. As of 21 April 2025, there are 252 cardinals, of whom 135 are under 80; 108 (80%) of the potential electors were appointed as cardinals by Francis.[8][9]

Since the 1975 promulgation of Romano Pontifici eligendo and Universi Dominici gregis, the nominal maximum number of cardinal electors has been 120. The 2025 conclave will be the first conclave where there are more than 120 eligible cardinals as of the day the papacy became vacant since the introduction of the 120 limit in 1975.[10][a] However, any cardinal under the age of 80 who has not renounced his voting rights (or had them removed) has the right under canon law to vote in a conclave. Many canon lawyers think that the pope makes an exception to his own rules when he appoints more than 120 electors and that all current cardinals under 80 are eligible to enter the conclave.[10][11] This assumption was confirmed by the general congregation of cardinals on 30 April, stating that all cardinal electors present for the conclave can vote.[12] Cardinals not eligible to vote can attend the general congregations, discussions that precede the conclave.[13]

Although the conclave cardinals may elect any Catholic male who has been baptized, the last time a non-cardinal was elected was the 1378 papal conclave.[14]

Non-participating

While having previously indicated he would attempt participation in the conclave,[15] Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, having renounced his rights as a cardinal due to financial scandal,[16] stated on 29 April he would abide by Pope Francis's wish that he not participate.[17] Owing to his disqualification, the total number of eligible electors became 135.[15]

Health problems prevented cardinals Antonio Cañizares Llovera of Spain and John Njue of Kenya from participating in the conclave,[18] reducing the number of participants to 133; as such, 89 votes are needed to obtain the required two-thirds supermajority. This is the largest number of electors ever to participate in a conclave.[3]

Speculation

There was early speculation in February and March 2025 about an impending conclave after Francis developed bilateral pneumonia and was in intensive care at Gemelli Hospital.[19]

Due to the major international expansion of the membership of the College of Cardinals under Pope Francis to 252, with over 140 non-European cardinals being appointed during his pontificate, both the BBC and Time had suggested a non-European pope to be likely.[20][21] The 2025 conclave was initially planned to have 135 electors from 71 countries, while the 2013 conclave had 115 electors from 48 countries, and the 2005 conclave had 115 electors from 52 countries. Some of the cardinals do not speak Italian, the working language of the Roman Curia.[22]

Following the Italian saying "fat pope, thin pope", some commentators predict that Francis's successor will be more conservative.[21][23][24] According to The Pillar, as of the third and fourth general congregations there is a substantive desire among the cardinals for a "ten-year pope" who is in his late seventies, will give the Church time to digest Francis's papacy, has experience in the Roman Curia, and will have a more internal, rather than external, focus.[25] The Wall Street Journal posits a younger pope as more likely.[26]

As of 5 May, given the complexities and heterogeneity of this conclave[27] compared to the one that elected Pope Francis in two days in 2013,[28] Cardinal Rainer Woelki expected the 2025 conclave to take longer;[28] Cardinals Louis Sako[29] and Gregorio Rosa Chávez anticipated a short conclave of two or three days,[30] with the latter remarking "maximum three days".[31][32]

Papabili

Main article: 2025 papal conclave papabili

By a wide variety of criteria, papal election observers consider some cardinals to be more likely to become pope than others – these are the papabili, the plural for papabile, an Italian word loosely translated as 'pope-able'. However, conclaves have not always chosen one of the papabili. Prior to his election in October 1978, John Paul II was not considered to be in the running.[33] This is reflected in the saying "He who enters the conclave as pope, leaves it as a cardinal,"[34] although, in reality, the frontrunner is often elected pope, as was the case in 1939 (Pius XII), 1963 (Paul VI), and 2005 (Benedict XVI).[35] Vaticanologist Professor Anna Rowlands offers that any predictions are currently based on "pure speculation".[36] Media worldwide released papabili analyses on the day of Pope Francis's death.[33][37]

Papabili mentioned in the media include Anders Arborelius, Jean-Marc Aveline, Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, Péter Erdő, Mario Grech, Pietro Parolin, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Robert Francis Prevost, Robert Sarah, Luis Antonio Tagle, Peter Turkson, and Matteo Zuppi.[38]

Betting

See also: Gambling on papal conclaves and Fantapapa

Betting on papal conclaves has a long history, and several Internet gambling companies offered markets on the 2025 conclave. Even before the announcement of the conclave itself prediction markets were using market mechanisms to calculate both who might be in the running and their putative rankings.[26] The betting market reflects a widespread cultural fascination with the papacy.[39][40][41]

Fantapapa (Italian for "Fantasy Pope") is a fantasy league based in Italy for betting nominal sums on papal conclaves. Established by anti-gambling advocates Pietro Pace and Mauro Vanetti specifically for the 2025 conclave,[42] the sole payout is "eternal glory". By 5 May 2025, it had 75,000 players in Italy, where no licensed platform offers gambling on conclaves.[43]

Pre-conclave events

Logistical preparations

Cardinals participating in the conclave stay at the Domus Sanctæ Marthae.

Following the death of Pope Francis, preparations began at Domus Sanctæ Marthae for housing the cardinal electors. These include setting up barriers or opaque film at the windows to prevent outside contact, as well as the construction of spaces for the celebration of the Sacrament of Penance, private prayer, and meals.[44][45][46] Outside contact is also inhibited through signal jammers which eliminate threats utilizing Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and mobile networks.[46][47][48] Because the building has only 129 bedrooms in total, it was necessary to use other Vatican facilities to provide accommodations for the 133 electors.[49][50][51] This also does not include the other support personnel who are allowed to live in the Domus during a conclave.[45] Rooms at Santa Marta Vecchia, next door to the main dormitory will also be used for supplemental space.[52][53][54]

In the Sistine Chapel, preparations included the addition of tables and chairs in the manner of choir stalls and the covering of windows, as well as the installation of the stove which burns the ballots following voting and the chimney which signals the results of each round.[55][56][57] A wooden floor was installed in the chapel to protect the marble inlay, provide a more level surface, and hide electronic signal jammers.[57][58] Both the Domus Sanctae Marthae and the Sistine Chapel are thoroughly inspected in advance of the conclave for any unauthorized devices.[46] On 2 May, Vatican firefighters installed the chimney for the Sistine Chapel.[59]

The Vatican Gendarmerie, under the leadership of Gianluca Gauzzi Broccoletti, faces many counter-espionage challenges in protecting conclave integrity.[48] According to Jorge Garay, writing in Wired magazine, possible threats include artificial intelligence systems, drones, microscopic microphones, misinformation campaigns, the ubiquity of social media, and even satellites. Concerns have also been raised by commentators about the possibility that disinformation campaigns and fake news might have an effect on the conclave, with social media hoaxes attempting to discredit certain papal candidates.[22][46] The Corps of Gendarmerie uses the 650 security cameras in the Vatican, as well as encrypted messaging along with endpoint detection and response to secure the conclave.[48]

Meals for the 2025 conclave features simple dishes typical of Lazio and of Abruzzo, the regions of Italy nearest the Vatican.[60]

General congregations

Map of the major venues of the conclave

Catholic canon law anticipates that general congregations, which are daily meetings of all cardinals regardless of elector status, will begin before all of the cardinals elector arrive in Rome. The initial meetings are focused on the logistics of the papal funeral and the conclave, including physical preparations at the Domus Sanctae Marthae (as a dormitory) and the Sistine Chapel (as a polling place).[61] Later ones, typically the eighth and following, shift to discussions about the needs of the Church and the world, and the issues facing the Roman Curia.[62][63][64] These later general congregations are guided by the reflections given by two "distinguished and morally authoritative" clerics who are selected by the cardinals.[61] The cardinals are also given the opportunity to make formal remarks regarding the issues facing the Church.[65] All of these speeches and discussions are termed interventi (interventions) in Italian.[66] The General Congregations meet in the New Synod Hall, on the first floor of the vestibule of the much larger Paul VI Audience Hall, located behind the Palace of the Holy Office, east of the Domus Sanctae Marthae.[67][68][69]

More broadly, these general congregations allow the cardinals to meet on their own initiative, thereby getting to know each other and exercise their spiritual discernment; many had never met, as Francis did not hold meetings of cardinals before his papal consistories.[70][71][72][a] Furthermore, the cardinals also have full access to global media and its diverse analyses and criteria for identifying the papabile.[73] Prior to leaving for Rome on 24 April, Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David stressed that a conclave is not a political campaign, but a religious retreat. He also emphasized that it is a duty of the College of Cardinals to discern each other via prayer, personal letters, and even research on a website with biographical and other information set up for that purpose;[74] it is not a matter of candidates.[75] Both the formal and informal discussions are expected to be very substantive in preparation for, and in the hope for, a speedy conclave.[76][77] The discussions held at cardinals' own initiative—pratiche, or 'exercises'—are the most frank and candid.[78] By canon law, the congregations are bound to the same secrecy as the conclave.[79]

For the 2025 conclave, the general congregations met every day following Francis's death until the beginning of the conclave proper on 7 May, excluding 26 and 27 April and 1 and 4 May.[55][80]

Daily summary

On 22 April, members of the papal staff and household were asked to vacate their rooms at the Domus Sanctæ Marthae following the death of Pope Francis in his suite on the second floor to allow for conclave preparations in that building to begin.[44] The same day, the first of twelve general congregations were held. At the first congregation, the approximately sixty cardinals present listened to Cardinal Camerlengo Kevin Farrell read the will and testament of Pope Francis. The canonization of Carlo Acutis, originally scheduled to take place in Rome on 27 April, was suspended, and the cardinals confirmed the date for the papal funeral. This meeting also dealt with the logistics of the funeral.[81][82] The attending cardinals also took the oath of secrecy concerning their meetings.[83] Despite the fact that general congregations are closed to non-cardinals, Sister Simona Brambilla, a religious sister and the first woman to head a Vatican department, was accidentally sent a standard email inviting her to participate.[84]

On 23 April, the Vatican Museums announced the closure of the Sistine Chapel beginning on 28 April, due to the needs of the conclave.[85][86] At the second congregation, the program for the novemdiales, or nine-day period of mourning for the deceased pope, was approved.[87] Norberto Rivera Carrera stated that the discussions were mostly procedural in nature, as many cardinals from around the world were still traveling.[88]

Cardinals and bishops in the New Synod Hall (pictured in 2014), one of the venues for the general congregations before the conclave

The third congregation on 24 April, with 113 cardinals present, saw the appointment of the two conclave preachers, Donato Ogliari and Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa.[89][90] At the fourth general congregation on 25 April, the 149 cardinals in attendance listened to a presentation on the funeral rite for Pope Francis.[91] By this time nearly 70 formal speeches, or "interventions", had been given.[92] There was also discussion concerning the status of Giovanni Angelo Becciu as a cardinal elector among the participants, which continued in the following congregations until his 29 April acceptance of his non-elector status.[72]

The fifth general congregation on 28 April decided that the conclave would begin on 7 May, 16 days after Pope Francis's death.[6][93] This meeting also discussed the clerical sexual abuse crisis, challenges in evangelization, and interfaith relationships. Twenty cardinals delivered interventions.[55] Conservative cardinals, such as Gerhard Müller and Francis Arinze (not an elector), were particularly vocal during this session.[94][95]

The next day, at the sixth congregation on 29 April, the start time for the conclave was set at 4:30 p.m., and Cardinal Re was chosen as the celebrant for the opening Mass for the conclave.[96] Donato Ogliari gave his scheduled reflection to the 183 cardinals present, 124 of them being electors, and emphasized the theme of synodality from the Francis papacy.[94][96][97]

The seventh congregation on 30 April featured a discussion of the Vatican's financial issues by the 180 cardinals present, 124 of whom were electors.[98][99] Rainer Woelki stated that the meetings thus far had been "fraternal and cordial [...] a very concentrated, calm, factual working atmosphere."[28] Beniamino Stella made a very strongly-worded critique of Francis's decision to allow lay persons to exercise powers of church governance formerly reserved to clergy. This surprised many cardinals, as Stella was viewed as one of Francis's most trusted advisors and a prominent supporter of Parolin.[100][101][102]

The general congregation did not meet on 1 May, the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker, a public holiday for the Holy See.[55][80] At the ninth congregation on 2 May 177 cardinals were present, of whom 127 were electors. Twenty-six cardinals spoke. Among the subjects discussed were communion within the Church and fraternity with the world, the hope that the next pope would be prophetic, and this year's Jubilee.[103] The tenth and eleventh congregations were both held on 5 May and discussed a wide range of church topics.[104][105] On 6 May, the twelfth and final congregation of the College of Cardinals took place.[106] This congregation marked the death of Pope Francis with the destruction of his fisherman's ring and lead seal. It was the first time either ritual was digitally recorded and made visible to the public.[106]

Conclave

The doors leading to the Sistine Chapel (pictured in 2014) were shut at 5:46 p.m. on 7 May

Day 1

On 7 May, the conclave to elect Francis's successor began. It was preceded by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals, celebrating the Mass pro eligendo Pontifice (lit. 'for the election of the Pontiff') in St. Peter's Basilica at 10 a.m. CEST.[107] All support staff, such as sacristans, medical staff, elevator operators, and the director of security services for the Vatican, along with officers and officials of the conclave, took their oath of secrecy on 5 May.[53][108][109]

At 4:30 p.m., the conclave officially began with a prayer service in the Pauline Chapel, at the end of which the electors entered the Sistine Chapel in procession. Once there, the hymn Veni Creator Spiritus ("Come, Creator Spirit") was sung and the 133 voting cardinals then swore themselves to secrecy.[58][96][110][111] Each cardinal elector in order of seniority placed his hands on a book of the Gospels and made the affirmation aloud in Latin:

While making the oath, several cardinals used the Latin forms of their names.[112] Diego Ravelli, the papal master of ceremonies, then called out the words "Extra omnes", a command for everyone who is not a cardinal elector to leave the chamber.[112] He then shut the entrance to the Sistine Chapel at 5:46 p.m.[110][112] Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa then offered a reflection to the cardinals following their procession into the conclave.[113] Because the conclave began in the afternoon, only a single ballot was held on this day.[6]

The first day of the conclave ended at 9:00 p.m. (19:00 UTC), after black smoke emerged from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel signifying that the vote did not result in the election of a new pope.[112] Vatican Media reported that up to 45,000 people gathered in St. Peter's Square.[114]

Day 2

Morning session

The second day of the conclave began with two ballots, concluding at about 10:30 a.m. and 11:45 a.m..[115] Black smoke appeared at 11:51 a.m., again signifying that no pope had been elected. Smoke is not necessarily produced after each ballot, as ballot cards from the two unsuccessful votes in a morning session or an afternoon session are usually burned together,[116] producing smoke only at the end of each session.[116][117][118]

By the end of the morning session, there were 15,000 people in St. Peter's Square and 5,000 people at the Santa Maria Maggiore. More were expected during the afternoon session, since in two of the most recent conclaves a new pope was elected either on the fourth or on the fifth ballot.[119]

Afternoon session

The cardinals then returned to the Domus Sanctae Marthae for lunch, and returned to the Chapel later in the afternoon for another two votes.[120]

Notes

  1. ^ a b There have been more than 120 cardinal electors at several other points since 1975, but not at the time of a conclave.

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