The world stops. It really does. When a pope dies or steps down, a billion people suddenly look toward a single chimney in Rome. It’s wild if you think about it. In an age of instant TikTok updates and 24-hour news cycles, the Catholic Church still picks its leader using a method that involves locking 100-plus elderly men in a room until they agree.
No phones. No internet. No outside help.
Basically, it's the ultimate social experiment, but with eternal stakes. This process, called a conclave, is steeped in more than 800 years of tradition, secret oaths, and some very specific chemistry. If you’ve ever wondered how do they elect a new pope without the whole thing turning into a political circus, the answer is a mix of rigid law and high-stakes isolation.
The "Empty Chair" and the Man with the Hammer
The moment a pope is gone, the period of Sede Vacante (the "Vacant See") begins. Everything in the Vatican freezes. Well, not everything, but the big stuff. The College of Cardinals takes over, but they can’t make any major new rules. They're basically the world's most powerful temp agency.
Historically, there was a legend that the Camerlengo—the chamberlain—would tap the Pope’s forehead three times with a silver hammer, calling him by his baptismal name to make sure he was actually dead. Nowadays, they use more modern medical methods, but the ritualistic destruction of the Fisherman’s Ring and the papal seal still happens. This is to make sure nobody fakes a "final decree" before the new guy takes over.
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Then, the clock starts. They’ve got between 15 and 20 days to get the cardinals to Rome.
Entering the Conclave: "Extra Omnes!"
The word "conclave" literally means "with a key." In 1268, the cardinals took nearly three years to pick a guy. The local people got so fed up they ripped the roof off the building and put the cardinals on a diet of bread and water. That sped things up.
Today, they stay in a hotel-like building inside the Vatican called the Domus Sanctae Marthae. It’s comfortable, but it’s a total dead zone. No Wi-Fi. No newspapers. They even sweep the Sistine Chapel for bugs—the electronic kind—to make sure no foreign intelligence agencies are eavesdropping.
When they’re ready, they march into the Sistine Chapel, and a master of ceremonies shouts, "Extra omnes!" (Everyone out!). The doors are locked. The real work begins.
How Do They Elect a New Pope? The Gritty Details of Voting
The actual voting is remarkably low-tech. Forget electronic pads or hanging chads.
Each cardinal gets a rectangular piece of paper. On the top half, it says Eligo in summum pontificem—meaning "I elect as supreme pontiff." They write their choice on the bottom half, disguised as much as possible, and fold it twice.
- The Procession: One by one, the cardinals walk up to the altar under Michelangelo’s "Last Judgment." It’s intimidating.
- The Oath: They hold up their ballot and swear to Christ that they are voting for the person they truly believe should be elected.
- The Counting: Three "scrutineers" (basically the election judges) count the votes. They pierce each ballot with a needle and thread through the word Eligo to keep them organized.
To win, a candidate needs a two-thirds majority. In the most recent 2025 conclave, following the death of Pope Francis, the 133 cardinal-electors—the largest group in history—needed 89 votes to reach that threshold. They found their man on the fourth ballot: Cardinal Robert Prevost, who became Pope Leo XIV.
The Chemistry of Smoke
This is the part everyone knows. The smoke.
After each voting session—usually two in the morning and two in the afternoon—the ballots are burned. But they don't just throw them in a fireplace. They use two stoves. One is for the old ballots, and the other is for a chemical cocktail that colors the smoke.
- Black Smoke (Fumata Nera): This means "Try again." The world watches the thin copper chimney, sees the black plume, and sighs.
- White Smoke (Fumata Bianca): This is the "Eureka" moment. It means a new pope has been chosen.
In the old days, they used wet straw to get black smoke, but it often came out a confusing grey. Now they use things like potassium perchlorate and anthracene. Science serving the Spirit.
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What Happens When Someone Actually Wins?
Once a man hits that two-thirds mark, the Dean of the College of Cardinals walks up to him and asks the big question: "Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?"
If he says yes (and you'd have a pretty good reason to say no, considering the weight of the job), he’s immediately asked what name he wants to be called. This is a huge deal. A name like Leo or Pius signals a return to tradition. Francis signaled a focus on the poor.
He then goes to the "Room of Tears"—a tiny red room off the Sistine Chapel. It's called that because, honestly, most new popes break down crying there once the reality of the office hits them. He puts on the white cassock, the cardinals swear obedience, and then the Senior Cardinal Deacon heads to the balcony.
"Habemus Papam!" he tells the crowd. "We have a pope!"
Why the Rules Keep Changing
Pope John Paul II made a big set of rules in 1996 called Universi Dominici Gregis. Benedict XVI tweaked them. Francis simplified the funeral rites in late 2024.
The biggest change lately? The sheer number of voters. The "soft limit" used to be 120 cardinals under the age of 80. But the 2025 election proved that the sitting pope can expand that circle. More voters mean more perspectives from the Global South—places like Africa, Asia, and Latin America—which changes the "politics" of the room entirely.
Even though it’s a religious event, it’s also a human one. There’s campaigning, sure, but it’s done in whispers during the "General Congregations" (the meetings before the lock-in). They talk about the state of the world, the Vatican’s finances, and who has the stamina for a job that usually ends in a coffin.
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Actionable Insights for the Curious
If you're following a papal transition in real-time, keep these things in mind to sound like an expert:
- Watch the "Papabili": These are the "pope-able" candidates. But remember the old Roman saying: "He who enters the conclave a pope, leaves it a cardinal." Frontrunners rarely win.
- Check the Age: Only cardinals under 80 on the day the papacy becomes vacant can vote. If a cardinal turns 80 the day after the Pope dies, he’s still in. If he turned 80 the day before? He's watching on TV like the rest of us.
- The First Address: The new pope’s first speech from the balcony (the Urbi et Orbi) usually contains the "thesis statement" for his entire reign. Listen to the language he uses—is it about mercy, law, or global peace?
- Official Sources: To avoid the "fake news" that inevitably swirls during a conclave, stick to the Vatican Press Office or the Catholic News Service. They are the only ones with the official "official" word.