Various videos claim Pope Francis's successor has been appointed, but that's not how a new bishop of Rome is chosen. How does the system actually work?
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00:00No, the Pope hasn't resigned and appointed a successor.
00:09False videos have been posted to YouTube alleging that Pope Francis is stepping down from his
00:14position as the Bishop of Rome and head of the Catholic Church.
00:17Various videos posted in quick succession, some with tens of thousands of views, claim
00:23that the Pope's successor has also been appointed, Filipino prelate Luis Antonio Tagle.
00:28Of course, none of this is true. The Vatican hasn't announced anything about Pope Francis
00:33resigning and there are no reputable news outlets reporting on it anywhere else.
00:37In his autobiography, Pope Francis has said that he feels healthy and has no intention
00:42of stepping down.
00:43Some of the videos even use clips from The Onion, a well-known satirical news site.
00:48They also make a fundamental mistake. Popes aren't appointed. They're elected by cardinals.
00:54But how does the process work?
00:55When a Pope dies or resigns, the College of Cardinals gathers in the Vatican to prepare
01:00to choose his successor.
01:02After a series of general congregations where they discuss the Catholic Church's needs and
01:06challenges, they hold what's known as the Papal Conclave to elect the new Bishop of
01:10Rome.
01:11Only cardinals under 80 years of age can vote in this secretive ballot and the maximum number
01:16of cardinal electors stands at 120.
01:19They seal themselves in the Sistine Chapel and aren't allowed any contact with the outside
01:23world to avoid any undue influence.
01:26Cardinals vote four times a day until a candidate receives two-thirds of the vote.
01:30Each time no candidate achieves this, the ballots are burnt in chemicals that produce
01:34black smoke.
01:36When a candidate is chosen, the votes are burnt in chemicals that produce the iconic
01:40white smoke, signalling to the world that a new Pope has been elected.
01:44He then chooses his papal name and heads to the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, making
01:49his first public appearance as Pope.