If you’re looking at the calendar and wondering exactly when the smoke turned white, the answer is actually more recent than many people realize. Pope Leo XIV was elected on May 8, 2025. It feels like just yesterday that the world was glued to those grainy livestreams of a copper chimney. Honestly, the timeline of how we got here—from the passing of Pope Francis to the rise of the first-ever American pontiff—is a bit of a whirlwind.
Most folks still have the 2013 election of Pope Francis burned into their brains, but the landscape of the Vatican changed fundamentally in the spring of 2025. Here is the breakdown of how the current transition went down, why it happened when it did, and what it was like inside that locked room.
The 2025 Conclave: A Quick Turnaround
The whole process kicked off following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025. According to Church law, you can't just pick a new leader the next morning. There’s a mandatory waiting period, partly for mourning and partly to give cardinals from the far corners of the earth—places like Vietnam, Congo, and Brazil—time to pack their bags and get to Rome.
The actual voting started on May 7, 2025. It didn't take long. By the afternoon of the second day, May 8, the ballots hit the magic two-thirds majority.
- April 21: Pope Francis passes away.
- May 7: Conclave officially begins with the Extra omnes (everyone out!) command.
- May 8: White smoke appears at 6:07 PM local time.
- The Result: Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost becomes Pope Leo XIV.
It was actually a pretty fast election. If you compare it to the 13th century, where cardinals were once locked up for nearly three years until they literally tore the roof off the building to "let the Holy Spirit in," two days is basically a sprint.
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What Most People Get Wrong About the Date
A lot of people get confused because there are two "dates" associated with a new Pope. There’s the day he is elected (when the smoke goes white) and the day of his Inauguration Mass (when he officially starts the public-facing job with all the bells and whistles).
For Leo XIV, he was elected on May 8, but his formal installation didn't happen until a few days later. If you're settling a bet or writing a history paper, May 8 is the "birthday" of his papacy.
Why 2013 is Still Stuck in Our Heads
You've probably seen the date March 13, 2013 pop up in your searches too. That was the day Pope Francis was elected. Because his reign lasted over twelve years and saw so much global change, that date became a fixture in the public consciousness.
But as of right now, we are firmly in the era of Leo XIV. He’s a Chicago-born Augustinian who spent a massive chunk of his life in Peru. Seeing a guy from the Midwestern U.S. step onto that balcony was a "where were you when" moment for a lot of people, especially in the States.
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How the Election Actually Works (The Nitty Gritty)
It’s not like a standard political election. There are no campaign ads or televised debates—at least, not officially. The cardinals meet in "General Congregations" in the weeks leading up to the vote. This is basically a series of high-stakes coffee chats where they discuss the state of the world.
Once they enter the Sistine Chapel, they are totally cut off. No iPhones. No newspapers. No "leaking" to X (formerly Twitter). They even sweep the room for bugs to make sure no one is listening in.
The Ballot Process
Each cardinal writes a name on a rectangular piece of paper. They try to disguise their handwriting so no one can tell who voted for whom. They walk up to the altar, hold the ballot up, and drop it into a chalice.
If no one gets two-thirds of the vote, they mix the papers with some chemicals that produce black smoke. If someone wins, they use a different chemical mix for white smoke. In 2025, we saw black smoke three times before that fourth ballot finally did the trick for Prevost.
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Why the Timing of May 2025 Mattered
The timing was crucial because the Church was in the middle of some pretty heavy administrative shifts. Pope Francis had spent years pushing for "synodality"—which is basically a fancy word for making the Church more about listening and less about top-down orders.
When the cardinals gathered in May 2025, the big question was: Do we keep going in the direction Francis set, or do we pivot? By electing Robert Prevost (Leo XIV), they chose a "moderate" path. He was close to Francis but also had a deep background in Canon Law (the Church’s legal system). He was 69 years old when elected—kinda the "sweet spot" for a Pope. Not so young that he’ll reign for 40 years, but not so old that he can't handle the brutal travel schedule.
Looking Back: Other Famous Election Dates
To put the May 2025 election in perspective, it helps to look at how long other modern Popes lasted and when they took the throne.
- Pope Benedict XVI: Elected April 19, 2005. He was 78, which everyone thought was "too old" at the time. He ended up being the first Pope to resign in 600 years.
- Pope John Paul II: Elected October 16, 1978. He was a "surprise" pick from Poland and stayed in the job for 26 years.
- Pope John Paul I: Elected August 26, 1978. He only lasted 33 days. His sudden death is why 1978 is known as the "Year of Three Popes."
Actionable Insights for Following the Papacy
If you're trying to keep up with the current Pope or the history of these elections, here are a few things you can do to get the "real" story:
- Check the "Vatican News" official site: It’s the closest thing to a direct press release. It's surprisingly modern and avoids some of the weird rumors you find on social media.
- Look for the "Apostolic Constitution": If you're a nerd for rules, the document Universi Dominici Gregis is the actual rulebook for how the Pope gets elected. It explains everything from who can vote to what happens if they get stuck in a tie.
- Watch the "Urbi et Orbi": This is the Pope's big address to the world. Leo XIV gives his most important ones at Christmas and Easter. It's the best way to see what his actual priorities are versus what the media says they are.
The election of a Pope is one of the few things left in the world that feels truly ancient and mysterious. Whether you’re Catholic or just a fan of history, the fact that we still use smoke signals to announce a world leader in 2025 is, honestly, pretty cool.
To stay current on Pope Leo XIV’s decrees, you should bookmark the Holy See’s official bulletin, which publishes his daily schedule and any new "Motu Proprio" (personal edicts) he releases. Monitoring these helps you see how he is blending his American roots with the traditions of the Vatican.