Conclave to elect new Pope to begin on May 7th, Vatican says

New Delhi, April 28, 2025

The Vatican has officially announced that a conclave to elect the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church will commence on May 7, following the passing of Pope Francis.

The conclave to elect the 267th Pope will follow the completion of the Novemdiales Masses, a period of prayer for the eternal repose of the late Pope Francis. He died on April 21, aged 88.

The date was set by the approximately 180 cardinals present gathered for the fifth General Congregation in the Vatican. Out of those, a total of 135 cardinals, all below the age of 80, are eligible to vote for the next head of the 1.4-billion-member Church.

What are the rules of the conclave?

The conclave takes place in the Sistine Chapel within the Vatican Apostolic Palace. It remains completely sealed off until the election is concluded.

During the election process, the Cardinal electors must refrain from sending letters or engaging in conversations. This includes phone calls, except in cases of extreme urgency.

They are also not allowed to send or receive messages of any kind, receive newspapers or magazines of any nature, or follow radio or television broadcasts.

How many votes are required to elect a Pope?

A two-third majority of the total casted votes is required to elect a Pope. The voting continues in different stages until the majority is met.

After the counting of votes, all ballots are burned. If the ballot was inconclusive, a chimney positioned over the Sistine Chapel emits black smoke. If the two-third majority is met, white smoke billows out of the chimney.

Four Indian cardinals to participate in the conclave

Four Indian Cardinals will also participate in the conclave this time. The four Indian cardinals are – Filipe Neri Ferrao, the Archbishop of Goa and Damman; George Koovakkad, former head of the Journeys Office of the Secretariat of State of the Holy See; Baselios Cleemis, Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church in Kerala; and Anthony Poola, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Hyderabad and the first archbishop from the Dalit Christian community, as reported by HT.

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