Conclave et compte à rebours : les étapes qui aboutiront à l'élection du nouveau pape

Beginning at 10 a.m. May 7, a votive mass entitled "pro eligendo Papa" will be held in St. Peter's Basilica. Voting will be held in the Sistine Chapel.

The Conclave will begin at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. Prior to this event, at 10:00 a.m., all cardinals will gather in St. Peter's Basilica, where Cardinal Dean, Giovanni Battista Re, will celebrate the votive mass "pro eligendo Papa." After the morning assembly, the cardinals will gather in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace and, in procession, will move to the Sistine Chapel, where the voting will take place.

The initial phase of the Conclave will allow people from outside the assembly to participate. Each of the 133 electors will have to take an oath on the Bible, pledging to maintain confidentiality about the work of the Conclave. Once the last elector has also taken the oath, the master of papal celebrations, Monsignor Diego Ravelli, will proclaim Extra omnes, thus marking the beginning of the Conclave.

Who will oversee the integrity and confidentiality of the voting process?

Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo, will oversee the integrity and confidentiality of the voting process, with the assistance of three temporary cardinals. During this phase, the Master of Celebrations, together with several Masters of Ceremonies, will deliver two or three ballots to each voter. In addition, three scrutineers will be drawn by lot, who will be in charge of collecting the votes of voters unable to attend due to illness at Casa Santa Marta - an essential location of the Conclave - along with three auditors.

What is the number of votes required for a candidate to be elected Pope?

The Constitution stipulates that the ballot must be rectangular and bear the words “Eligo in Summum Pontificem” at the top, while the name must be recorded at the bottom. During this phase, the cardinal electors will remain secluded in the Sistine Chapel. After writing their names, the cardinals will deposit their ballots into an urn (historically, this was a large chalice). Before placing their ballot in the urn, each cardinal will take the following oath: “I call as my witness Christ the Lord, who will judge me, that my vote is given to the one whom, according to God, I believe should be elected.” After voting is completed, the ballots are checked to ensure that they match the number of voters. If everything is correct, the ballot is taken: the cardinal who gets two-thirds of the votes (89 out of 133) will be considered elected. If none of them reaches this threshold, the ballots will be incinerated in the stove located on one side of the Chapel, connected to a chimney that extends above the roof of the Sistine Chapel. In case of non-election, the smoke produced will be black.

How many ballots are cast each day, starting with the initial one accompanied by smoke?

After three days marked by black smoke due to 12 ballots not yet cast, the Conclave will pause for one day, during which time will be allowed for prayer, open discussion and exhortation by the first cardinal deacon. Thereafter, a new round of seven ballots will be held. If these also fail to yield a result, a further seven-day recess will be held, followed by another round of seven votes. If these also fail to yield a result, a third break will be held, leading to a total of seven ballots. At this point, the total number of blank ballots will reach 34, and according to the Constitution, a decision must be made between the two candidates with the most votes, although a quorum of 89 votes remains necessary. During this stage, neither candidate will be allowed to cast a vote.

Once the required quorum is reached, the elected candidate is asked the question, "Do you accept your election as Supreme Pontiff?" In case of an affirmative answer, he is asked, "What do you wish to be called?" Next, the ballots are incinerated, producing a white smoke. The neopontifex is then escorted to the "Room of Tears," where he dons the white robe. Meanwhile, the Cardinal Protodeacon goes to the Central Loggia of St. Peter's to announce the "Habemus Papam" with these words, "We announce the name of the elected." After donning the white robe, the new Pope receives the homage of the cardinals and then goes to the Central Loggia to impart the first blessing "Urbi et Orbi."