Catholic cardinalsfrom around the world will sequester themselves within the Sistine Chapel beginning Wednesday to start the secretive process of selecting Pope Francis’s successor.
Catholic cardinals to sequester in the Vatican for the start of the conclave
A morning Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica has concluded, allowing the cardinals who will elect the next pope to return to their residences for a few hours ahead of the conclave.
Later in the afternoon, the Vatican has said that all communications around the Holy See will be jammed as they prepare to withdraw from the outside world for their secret and sacred task ahead.
Rome on high alert ahead of the conclave
The Vatican’s Swiss Guards and Italian carabinieri and police have been mobilized as Rome and the wider world hold their breath to see who will emerge from the conclave as the next pontiff.
As of Wednesday morning, when cardinals attended a special pre-conclave Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, police were carrying out enhanced checks of people entering St. Peter’s Square.
Over 4,000 officers have been deployed, with an anti-drone system and signal jammers to block communication between the cardinals and the outside world once they enter into their secret assembly.
“The safety of the cardinals is a priority, but so is that of the faithful outside,” said Fabio Ciciliano, head Italy’s Civil Protection agency.
A brief and colourful papal history just days from a conclave to elect a new bishop of Rome
Cardinals Ruben Salazar Gomez, left is flanked by Cardinal Luis José Rueda Aparicio as they arrive in the New Hall of the Synod at the Vatican, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, the last time before the start of the conclave starting in the afternoon of Wenesday, May 7, when they will elect the successor of Pope Francis.
Gregorio Borgia APOn an ordinary day at the Vatican, it’s common to hear the brrring of a telefonino and priests digging their devices out from the folds of their cassocks.
These are extraordinary days, though. Cardinals — arriving together by bus from Casa Santa Marta, a modest guesthouse on the grounds (Pope Francis chose to live there during his papacy rather than the ornate Apostolic Palace) — will be stripped of their cellphones before entering the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday to begin the arcane ritualistic process of electing a 267th pope.
No communication devices. No contact with the outside world. Complete isolation in their sequestered assembly, under Michelangelo’s majestic fresco of the Last Judgment. Cum clave — under lock and key. A total digital blackout in this era.
But in the 21st century, the challenge of maintaining secrecy amidst unprecedented technology and providing security for the participants is immense.
The conclave to choose the next pope will be the most geographically diverse in history
There is no rule that cardinals electing a new pope vote a certain way according to their nationality or region. But understanding their makeup in geographic terms can help explain some of their priorities as they open the conclave Wednesday to choose a new leader of the 1.4-billion strong Catholic Church.
A cardinal who heads the Vatican’s liturgy office might have a very different set of concerns from the archbishop of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. A cardinal who runs a large European archdiocese with hundreds of priests likely has other priorities than the Vatican ambassador ministering to war-torn Syria or the archbishop of Managua, Nicaragua, whose church has been under siege by the government.
There are currently 135 cardinals who are under age 80 and eligible to vote in the conclave, hailing from 71 different countries in the most geographically diverse conclave in history. Already two have formally told the Holy See that they cannot attend for health reasons, bringing the number of men who will enter the Sistine Chapel down to 133.
How is the next pope chosen?
Only cardinals under 80 are allowed to vote. That means 135 of the total 252 cardinals will be eligible, although two have confirmed their absence for health reasons. Church regulations allow a maximum 120 electors, although popes have exceeded that ceiling before.
The cardinal electors must reach a two-thirds majority to elect a new pope. On the first day of the ballot, cardinals will take a single vote.
If no winner is chosen, the electors will return to the Sistine Chapel the following morning. In the following days, there can be up to two votes each morning and two each afternoon until a pope is chosen.
What is a conclave?
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, center, takes part in the procession carrying the body of Pope Francis to St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, where he will lie in state for three days.
Alessandra Tarantino APThe conclave is a centuries-old tradition that will see more than 100 cardinals from around the globe congregate in Vatican City to select the next bishop of Rome and leader of the world’s more-than 1.4 billion Catholics.
It must take place 15 days to a maximum 20 days after the pope vacates his position, according to an apostolic constitution.
The first day will start with a special mass at St. Peter’s Basilica by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re. In the afternoon, the cardinal electors will process into the Sistine Chapel, where the voting will take place.
There, a priest will deliver a meditation and the cardinals will take an oath. The master of liturgical ceremonies will then utter the Latin words “Extra Omnes” — meaning “all out” — asking all those present save for the voting cardinals to leave the building.
From then on, the cardinals will have no contact with the outside world until the next pope is chosen — meaning no cellphones, newspapers, TVs, messages, letters or signals.
