Cardinals will gather behind closed doors in the Sistine Chapel from 7th May to elect the 267th pope in a centuries-old ritual known as the papal conclave. Here's what happens and why.
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00:00From the 7th of May, 135 cardinals will be locked inside the Sistine Chapel for the 2025
00:10Papal Conclave, a secretive election that will decide the next leader of the world's 1.4 billion
00:17Catholics. While any baptized Catholic male can technically be chosen, in practice,
00:29the Pope is now almost always elected from within the College of Cardinals. The electors
00:34in this conclave hail from 71 countries, up from 48 in 2013 when Pope Francis was chosen,
00:42reflecting the Church's increasingly global reach.
00:45I think we're going to find someone who supported Pope Francis, who is in touch with his legacy
00:52and wants to continue it, but we're not going to find anybody like Pope Francis, there's
00:56just nobody like him.
00:58The process, which dates back over 800 years, begins with a public mass before cardinals
01:04take an oath of secrecy and are sealed inside. The first vote can happen that same evening.
01:11From day two, four ballots may be held daily, and it continues until a candidate secures a
01:16two-thirds majority. White smoke from the chapel chimney signals a decision has been made.
01:25Historically, conclaves have lasted anywhere from 10 hours to nearly three years, though recent
01:31elections, including of Pope Francis in 2013, wrapped up in just two days.
01:37As Pope? I'd like to be Pope. That would be my number one choice.
01:42The term conclave comes from the Latin conclavus, meaning with a key, reflecting the literal
01:49lockdown of the chapel to ensure secrecy.
01:56that would look at and this