The conclave to elect a new pope is set for May 7 at the Vatican.

The Vatican announced that the conclave to elect the next pope will formally begin on May 7, 2025, after a prayer for the late Pope Francis.

Cardinals set the date for the conference.

More than 180 cardinals, including more than 100, gathered at the Vatican for the fifth ordinary conclave and unanimously decided to begin the conclave next week.

The elections will take place inside the Sistine Chapel, which will be closed to the public during the voting process.

Process leading up to the election

Before the voting begins, the cardinals will participate in a special mass to pray for guidance, known as Pro Elegiendo Papa.

The cardinal electors will then proceed in a ceremonial procession to the Sistine Chapel, where they will take an oath of secrecy and fidelity.

Once inside, the chapel will be sealed, and all non-electors will be dismissed, officially beginning the conclave.

Voting procedure explained

A two-thirds majority of the voting cardinals is required to elect a new pope.

If the first round of voting begins at noon on May 7, only one ballot will be cast. From the following day, there will be two rounds of voting, each morning and afternoon.

If no pope is elected after three days of voting, a day of prayer and reflection will be allowed before voting resumes.

The election results will be indicated by smoke rising from the Sistine Chapel: black smoke for an inconclusive vote and white smoke to announce a successful election.

What happens after the election?

Once a cardinal accepts his election as pope and chooses a papal name, the news will be officially announced from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica with the historic proclamation: “Habemus papam.”

The new pope will then give his first Urbi et Orbi blessing to the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

He will then formally begin his role as Bishop of Rome in the Basilica of St. John Lateran.