The Catholic Church has officially entered a new chapter in its history as 133 cardinal electors from 70 countries gather inside the hallowed walls of the Sistine Chapel to begin the solemn and secretive process of selecting the next pope.
The conclave follows the death of Pope Francis on April 21 and marks the beginning of a tightly controlled process steeped in centuries of tradition. After a morning Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, the cardinal electors entered the conclave this afternoon, surrendering their cell phones and all communication devices as Vatican security systems jammed signals to ensure strict confidentiality.
the cardinals are taking their oath of secrecy, promising not to disclose any details of the voting process under threat of excommunication. A spiritual meditation delivered by the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations preceded the first round of voting—the only one scheduled for today.
The Sistine Chapel, transformed for the occasion, now houses 133 voting desks arranged beneath Michelangelo’s iconic frescoes, where ballots will be cast and burned twice daily to signal the outcome of the voting rounds. Today’s single vote will end with the burning of ballots this evening. Black smoke will rise from the chapel chimney if no pope is elected; white smoke will announce, “Habemus Papam”—we have a pope.
Among the top contenders are Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, though the outcome remains impossible to predict in the highly secretive process. A two-thirds majority, at least 89 votes is required for any candidate to be declared the new pope.
Should today’s vote end inconclusively, the cardinals will retire for the evening and reconvene on Thursday for two rounds of voting in the morning and two more in the afternoon.
Thursday’s first smoke signal is expected between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. local time (5:30–7:00 a.m. ET), with the second coming between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. local time (11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. ET).
This is the first conclave since 2013, when Pope Francis was elected following the historic resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. With the world watching, the outcome of the next few days will shape the future direction of the Roman Catholic Church and its 1.3 billion followers across the globe.