By Sr. Henriette Anne, FSSA
The Vatican announced that the conclave to elect the next Pope will begin on 7th, May, the date selected during a closed-door meeting of the college of Cardinals on 28th April, 2025.
7th May falls within the traditional 15–20-day window following a Pope’s death, allowing sufficient time for the “Novendiales” mourning period and for cardinal electors to arrive from across the globe.
The cardinals are gathering in general meetings to make preparations for the election of a new pontiff, and they met for the first time on 28th since 26th April the burial of Pope Francis.
According to the Vatican sources, 134 cardinals will participate, those under the age of 80 years old, and nearly all have already arrived in Rome, and the remaining few are expected within days as the whole Church continues to pray for the Pope.
The voting will take place beneath Michelangelo’s magnificent frescoes in the Sistine Chapel.
Following tradition, the cardinals will celebrate a “Mass for the Election of the Roman Pontiff” in St. Peter’s Basilica on the morning of May 7 before processing into the Sistine Chapel while chanting the “Veni Creator Spiritus,” invoking the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
Once they are inside, each cardinal will take an oath to observe the procedures, maintain secrecy, and vote freely for the candidate he believes most worthy. The chapel doors will then be closed to the outside world until a new pope is chosen.
A two-thirds majority — 90 votes — is required to elect the new pope. The world will watch for the traditional signals from the Sistine Chapel chimney: black smoke indicating an inconclusive ballot, white smoke announcing that a new pope has been elected.
