When the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica start tolling with that specific, heavy rhythm, the world stops. It’s a signal that the See of Peter is vacant—Sede Vacante. Whether by death or the rare resignation, the mechanism of the Catholic Church shifts from a global monarchy into a high-stakes, spiritual waiting room. People always ask, how is the new pope elected? Honestly, it’s a mix of ancient ritual, strict legalism, and a total communications blackout that would make a spy agency jealous.
The process is technically governed by an apostolic constitution called Universi Dominici Gregis. It was written by John Paul II in 1996 and tweaked by Benedict XVI in 2013. You won't find any "campaign managers" or televised debates here. Instead, you have 120-ish men in red hats locking themselves in a room until they reach a consensus.
The Quiet Before the Smoke
The first thing that happens isn't voting. It’s talking. Before the doors of the Sistine Chapel even click shut, the cardinals hold "General Congregations." These are basically pre-game meetings. Cardinals from around the world—some who barely know each other—sit in a hall and discuss the state of the Church. They talk about what the next Pope should tackle. Is it financial reform? Outreach to the Global South?
They aren't supposed to "campaign," but let’s be real. They are human. Over espresso and long walks in the Vatican gardens, names start to float. These "papabile" (pope-able) candidates are scrutinized.
Then comes the cutoff. To vote, a cardinal must be under 80 years old on the day the papacy became vacant. If you’re 80 and one day? Sorry, you’re watching from the sidelines. As of early 2026, the number of eligible electors usually hovers around 120, though the Pope can technically expand this limit.
Entering the Locked Room
The word "conclave" literally means "with a key" (cum clave). It’s not just a metaphor. On the first day, the cardinals process into the Sistine Chapel, chanting the Veni Creator Spiritus to call on the Holy Spirit. It is intense.
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After a massive oath of secrecy, the Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations shouts, "Extra omnes!" That’s Latin for "Everyone out!"
Everyone who isn't a voting cardinal—the press, the assistants, the random altar boys—is cleared out. The doors are locked. From this moment on, the cardinals live in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, a guest house inside the Vatican. They are driven back and forth to the chapel. They aren't allowed to talk to anyone outside. No phones. No internet. No newspapers. The Vatican actually employs technicians to sweep the Sistine Chapel for bugs and electronic signals.
The Ballot Dance
The actual voting is remarkably low-tech. No iPads here. Each cardinal receives a rectangular piece of paper with the words Eligo in summum pontificem (I elect as supreme pontiff) printed at the top.
They disguise their handwriting. Seriously. They are instructed to write in a way that doesn't immediately give away their identity. Then, one by one, they walk up to the altar under Michelangelo's Last Judgment. They hold their ballot up, swear an oath that they are voting for who they believe God wants, and drop it into a chalice.
The counting is a three-step process handled by "scrutineers." They poke a needle through each ballot to keep them on a thread. It’s a physical tally. If no one gets a two-thirds majority, the ballots are burned.
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Black Smoke, White Smoke
This is the part everyone waits for in the square. To understand how is the new pope elected, you have to look at the chimney.
- Black Smoke (Fumata Nera): This happens when they don't have a winner. They mix the ballots with special chemicals to make the smoke dark and thick. It's a signal to keep praying.
- White Smoke (Fumata Bianca): Success. Someone hit the two-thirds mark. This smoke is often accompanied by the ringing of bells because, honestly, sometimes it’s hard to tell if smoke is "off-white" or "light grey" against a Roman sky.
In the past, there were rules about simple majorities after a certain number of days, but Benedict XVI moved it back to a strict two-thirds requirement. They want the new leader to have broad support, not just a slim 51% win.
The Moment of Acceptance
Once the 2/3 threshold is hit, the Dean of the College of Cardinals approaches the winner. He asks: "Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?"
If the guy says "Accepto," he’s the Pope. Right then. He doesn't need an inauguration or a crown to have the power. He is then asked what name he wants to take. This is a huge branding moment. A "Francis" signals something very different than a "Pius" or a "Leo."
He is then led to the "Room of Tears." It's a tiny room off the side of the chapel where three sizes of white cassocks are waiting. It’s called the Room of Tears because that’s usually when the weight of the job—leading 1.3 billion people—finally hits him. He cries, he gets dressed, and then he goes out to the balcony.
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What Most People Get Wrong
You don’t actually have to be a cardinal to be elected. Technically, any baptized Catholic male can be the Pope. If they elected a layperson, he’d have to be ordained a priest and bishop on the spot. But let's be honest: that hasn't happened in centuries. They almost always pick someone from the room.
Another misconception is that the conclave is just a "boys club" meeting. While women aren't in the room for the vote, the "General Congregations" before the lock-in have increasingly become a space where cardinals listen to the concerns of the global church, including laypeople and religious sisters, to understand the world they are choosing a leader for.
The process usually takes a few days. The longest conclave in history took nearly three years back in the 13th century (the locals eventually ripped the roof off the building to force a decision). These days, things move faster. Most modern elections are over in two to five days.
Actionable Insights for Following the Next Election:
- Monitor the General Congregations: When the news reports start mentioning specific themes in these pre-meetings (like "synodality" or "secularism"), pay attention. Those themes usually dictate which cardinal becomes the frontrunner.
- Watch the "Papabile" lists: Experts like John Allen Jr. or the team at The Pillar usually have high-accuracy lists of who the cardinals are actually talking about.
- Follow the Smoke on Official Apps: The Vatican usually has a "Vatican News" app that provides the most reliable live-feed of the chimney to avoid the confusion of "grey smoke" sightings.
The election of a pope is perhaps the last truly secret process in the Western world. It’s a blend of 2,000-year-old tradition and modern logistical precision, ensuring that when that white smoke finally appears, the transition of power is absolute and unquestioned.