As Catholic Cardinals Enter The Conclave: How A Pope Is Elected

AS THE formal mourning period for Pope Francis, who died on April 21 at the age of 88 after 12 years in the papacy, ended Tuesday, May 6, 2025, attention now shifts to the papal conclave in Vatican City, where Cardinals of the Catholic Church have converged to elect the next Pope.

The Cardinals, numbering 133, from around the world will choose the 267^th Pope, leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, at an event of spiritual, political and global significance.

From the voting of cardinal electors to the burning of ballots in a cast-iron stove dating back to 1939, here’s a look at what happens inside the Sistine Chapel during a papal election.

“Eligo in Summum Pontificem” (“I elect as Supreme Pontiff”.)

These are the words printed on each ballot that the 133 cardinal electors will use to elect the 267^th Roman Pontiff.

The ballot is rectangular, with the top half bearing the Latin phrase and the bottom half left blank for the cardinal to write the name of their chosen candidate. The ballot is designed to be folded in half – a detail prescribed by the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis.

Ballot Distribution 

Each cardinal elector receives at least two or three ballots, distributed by the ceremonial officers. Then, the senior cardinal deacon draws lots to appoint three scrutineers (to count the votes), three infirmarii (to collect votes from ill cardinals), and three revisers (to verify the count).

If any of those selected are unable to fulfil their roles due to illness or other reasons, new names are drawn in their place. This stage is known as the pre-scrutiny.

Before voting begins, all non-electors – including the secretary of the College of Cardinals, the Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations, and the ceremonial officers – must leave the Sistine Chapel. The senior cardinal deacon then closes the doors, opening and closing them only as needed, such as when the infirmarii go to collect the votes of ill cardinals and return.

The “Room of Tears”

Once a Pope is elected, he will be led to the “Room of Tears”, a small room next to the Sistine Chapel where he changes into white papal vestments.

According to reports, the “Room of Tears” is so named because many newly elected popes are overcome with emotion as they put on the white cassock for the first time and fully grasp the weight of their new responsibility.

The Voting Process

Each cardinal, in order of precedence, writes the name of their chosen candidate on the ballot, folds it, holds it aloft so it is visible, and carries it to the altar. There, a chalice is placed with a plate covering it.

Each elector says aloud, in Italian: “Chiamo a testimone Cristo Signore, il quale mi giudicherà, che il mio voto è dato a colui che, secondo Dio, ritengo debba essere eletto”. (“I call as my witness Christ the Lord, who will be my judge, that my vote is given to the one whom I believe should be elected according to God”.)

The cardinal then places the ballot on the plate and uses it to drop the vote into the chalice, bows to the altar, and returns to his seat.

Cardinals who are present but unable to walk to the altar due to illness give their folded ballot to one of the scrutineers, who brings it to the altar and deposits it in the same manner, without reciting the oath again.

Unwell Cardinals voting from their rooms

If any cardinals are too ill to be in the chapel, the three infirmarii visit them with a tray of ballots and a sealed box (previously shown to be empty, then locked with the key placed on the altar). The top of the box has a slit where the folded ballots can be inserted. Once the votes are cast, the infirmarii bring the box back to the chapel, where it is opened in front of the electors. The votes are counted and added to those already in the main chalice.

The Count

After all votes have been cast, the first scrutineer shakes the chalice to mix the ballots. The last scrutineer then counts them one by one, transferring them into a second, empty container. If the number of ballots doesn’t match the number of voters, all ballots are burned and a new vote is held immediately. If the count is correct, the ballots are opened and read.

The three scrutineers sit at a table before the altar. The first reads the name written on a ballot and passes it to the second, who confirms the name and hands it to the third, who reads it aloud for everyone to hear and records the vote. If two ballots appear to be written by the same person and bear the same name, they count as one vote. If they show different names, both are invalid, though the overall vote remains valid.

Once all ballots have been read and the votes tallied, the final scrutineer pierces each ballot with a needle through the word Eligo and threads them together with string. The ends of the string are tied in a knot, and the ballots are stored for safekeeping.

The Required Majority

To elect a new Pope, a two-thirds majority is required. For the upcoming conclave on Wednesday, 7 May, that means at least 89 votes are needed out of 133 electors.

Regardless of whether a Pope is elected, the revisers carefully verify the count and check the notes made by the scrutineers to ensure everything was carried out correctly. After this, before the electors leave the Sistine Chapel, all the ballots are burned in a cast-iron stove first used in the 1939 conclave. The scrutineers handle this with help from the College secretary and the ceremonial officers, who are summoned by the senior deacon.

A second stove, installed in 2005, is connected to a chimney visible from St Peter’s Square. This is where the chemicals are added to colour the smoke: black if no Pope has been elected, white if one has. If two votes are held in succession, the ballots from both are burned together at the end of the second round.

Voting Rounds and Spiritual Pauses

Voting occurs four times daily – twice in the morning, twice in the afternoon.

If, after three days, no candidate has been chosen, voting is paused for one day of prayer, informal discussions, and a brief spiritual exhortation by the senior cardinal deacon.

Voting then resumes. After every seven additional rounds without success, another pause and exhortation follow – first by the senior cardinal priest, and later, if necessary, by the senior cardinal bishop.

If still no Pope is elected after 21 votes, a final pause for prayer, dialogue, and reflection is observed. At this point, voting continues — but the cardinals may only choose between the two candidates who received the most votes in the previous round. Even then, a two-thirds majority is still required, and the two candidates in question are not allowed to vote.

After each round, ballots are burned. If black smoke appears from a chimney on top of the Sistine Chapel, it means no pope has been chosen. White smoke signals the Catholic Church has a new pontiff.

Black smoke is produced by burning a mixture of potassium perchlorate, anthracene and sulphur while white smoke results from a blend of potassium chlorate, lactose and a conifer resin known as rosin.

The last two conclaves, held in 2005 and 2013, wrapped up by the end of the second day of voting.

What happens after the Pope is elected?

After a new pope is elected, he first accepts the role and chooses a papal name that reflects his vision or inspiration. The previous pope, whose real name was Jorge Mario Bergoglio, chose Francis as his papal name to honour St Francis of Assisi.

The new pope then changes into white papal vestments in the “Room of Tears.” Shortly after, the senior cardinal announces “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum; HabemusPapam!” (“I announce to you a great joy; we have a Pope!), from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, and the new Pope steps out to give his first public blessing.