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Gathering behind the Vatican’s medieval walls, 133 cardinals will attend a Mass on Wednesday morning and in the afternoon sequester themselves for the start of a conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis.
What to know
- How the pope is elected: The College of Cardinals, composed of 133 voting eligible cardinals, will be sequestered inside the Vatican to pray, discern and vote for the next pope without distraction. Following a morning mass on Wednesday, they will host their first vote in the evening inside the Sistine Chapel. A two-thirds majority is required for a new pope to be elected. Voting sessions on subsequent days, should they be needed, will occur regularly in the morning and afternoon until a pope is selected.
- Smoke watch: After two rounds of voting, ballots are burned in a special stove — black smoke signals no decision, while white smoke means a new pope has been chosen. Though the exact time of the vote and burning is unknown, smoke is expected to rise from the Vatican chimney around 7 p.m. local time.
- Cardinals contenders: There are no official candidates for the papacy, but some cardinals are considered “papabile,” or possessing the characteristics necessary to become pope. Some names include Pietro Parolin, who will oversee the conclave, Luis Tagle, dubbed the “Asian Francis,” Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, a conservative cardinal native to the Congo, and Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who would be the first Italian pope in decades.
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