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The College of Cardinals has officially announced that the conclave to elect the next pope will begin on May 7, marking the start of one of the most sacred and closely watched events in the Catholic Church.
The decision came during a General Congregation at the Vatican on Monday, as cardinals from around the world continue to gather following Pope Francis’ burial on April 26 at St. Mary Major Basilica. The timing of the conclave falls within the traditional 15- to 20-day window after a pope’s death, allowing for the Church’s nine-day mourning period, known as the novendiales, and time for all electors to arrive.
A total of 134 cardinal-electors under the age of 80 will participate in the election, nearly all of whom are already in Rome. They will cast their votes inside the Sistine Chapel, beneath Michelangelo’s Last Judgment, in strict seclusion until a new pope is chosen.
Before the voting begins, the cardinals will celebrate the Mass for the Election of the Roman Pontiff in St. Peter’s Basilica on the morning of May 7. They will then process into the Sistine Chapel, invoking the Holy Spirit with the chant Veni Creator Spiritus, and take a solemn oath of secrecy and fidelity to the election process.
The conclave will be presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals. A candidate must receive a two-thirds majority—90 votes—to be elected pope.
Voting typically occurs in four rounds per day, with ballots burned after each session. The world will again look to the chapel’s chimney for the traditional signals: black smoke for no decision, and white smoke when a new pope is elected.
Pope Francis, whose decade-long papacy ended with his passing in April, had reshaped the College of Cardinals by appointing 108 of the current 134 electors, many from regions previously underrepresented in papal elections. His influence will likely shape the direction of the conclave and the Church’s future leadership.