What ‘Conclave’ Didn’t Show You: Inside The Secret Process Of Electing A Pope
(EXPLAINER) A papal conclave is a crucial event in the Catholic Church that occurs whenever the papacy becomes vacant. The conclave itself is the process by which the College of Cardinals gathers to elect a new pope.
The election is conducted in strict secrecy and under specific, centuries-old procedures, which have evolved over time to ensure its integrity and fairness.
The papacy becomes vacant under two primary conditions: The death of the pope or his resignation. The most recent example of the latter occurred in 2013 when Pope Benedict XVI resigned.
Both the movie “Conclave” (it has been nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture) and Pope Francis’ poor health (he remains in a Rome hospital for over two weeks with pneumonia) have fueled talk of a real papal conclave and all the intrigue that comes with it.
Life has certainly imitated art over the past few days — but how is a real conclave different from the film? Here’s a look at the process of electing a new pontiff:
What is the College of Cardinals?
When a pope dies, his body is displayed publicly at St. Peter’s Basilica, followed by a period of mourning. That’s when cardinals from all over the world assemble at the Vatican.
The College of Cardinals — a number limited to 120 men under the age of 80 — is a group of clerics appointed by the pope. Among many of their tasks is electing a new Holy Father.
The 2024 film “Conclave” — based on Robert Harris’ 2016 novel — pulled the curtain back on this process, giving everyone a Hollywood version of what happens behind closed doors.
“I’ve always written about politics and power. It greatly interests me what it does to people, the kind of people who seek it and so on,” Harris told The Associated Press. “This is in many ways the ultimate election, for God’s representative on Earth, the spiritual leader of one and a third billion people. It doesn’t get much bigger than that, quite frankly.”
David Gibson, Director of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University, said the film allowed for “the human dynamics of these holy and flawed characters really came out, and the ending was almost superfluous.”
“That said, I have to stipulate that all conclaves are, by their nature, absurd,” Gibson told GQ. “I mean, 120 — more or less — scarlet-robed guys go into the Sistine Chapel and are locked away until one of them emerges as the pope, after secret ballots and Latin oaths and white smoke funneled through a farmhouse chimney.”
Technically, any male Catholic over the age of 18 who has been ordained as a priest is eligible to become pope. However, in practice, the pope is typically chosen from among the cardinals.
Gibson said “Conclave” did get things wrong. Asked how much do cardinals really “campaign” for the part, Gibson said, “Some cardinals do campaign, but they need to do it quietly because if you’re seen as ambitious, you’re done. The key is to have allies who campaign for you. If you are seen as an odds-on favorite, your fellow cardinals will not vote for you. As the Romans say, ‘He who enters the conclave a pope, leaves it a cardinal.’”
Decision made in secrecy
To ensure the process is free from outside influence, the cardinal electors are isolated from the outside world during the conclave. The men enter the Sistine Chapel, where the election takes place, and are locked inside (from the Latin cum clave, meaning “with a key”).
Joelle Rollo-Koster, professor of Medieval History at the University of Rhode Island, said real conclaves aren’t as dramatic as “Conclave.”
“What the movie does not do, though, is explain where the word ‘conclave’ comes from, and how the mysterious system was created in the first place. Conclave is formed from the Latin words for ‘with key,’ referring to how cardinals are sequestered to elect a pope — inside the Vatican, today; but wherever a pope died, in the Middle Ages,” she wrote. “Why sequestered? Because it took centuries for the church to develop an electoral system free from manipulations and violence – which should resonate with contemporary politics.”
The procedures for the election of the pope developed over almost two millennia. Until the College of Cardinals was created in 1059, the bishops of Rome, like those in other areas, were elected by acclamation of the local clergy and people. Procedures similar to the present system were introduced in 1274 by Gregory X.
Concerns around political interference led to reforms after the interregnum of 1268–1271 and Pope Gregory X's decree during the Second Council of Lyons in 1274 that the electors should be locked in seclusion and not permitted to leave until a new pope had been elected.
When they are not casting ballots, the sequestered men are confined to the Apostolic Palace, the pope’s residence, for the duration of the election.
Strict security measures are implemented — including monitoring of all communications in order to prevent any attempt to influence the election process — since secrecy is vital to ensure the integrity of the election.
In order to be elected, a candidate must secure a two-thirds majority. This is one of the most important aspects of the conclave process, as it ensures that the new pope is chosen by broad consensus. If no candidate receives the required majority, the clerics vote again until that number is reached.
This process was further refined by Pope Gregory XV with his 1621 bull, which established the requirement of a two-thirds majority, although the concept had initially been used as far back as the year 1179. This has varied since then, depending on whether the winning candidate had been allowed to vote for himself (they are currently allowed to do so), in which cases the required majority was two-thirds plus one.
The needs for a two-thirds majority
The first step is the gathering of all eligible cardinals in the Sistine Chapel. They are sworn to secrecy. That’s followed by the election process, which unfolds in a series of steps.
The conclave opens with a Mass, where the cardinals pray to God for the guidance. This Mass is meant to prepare the electors spiritually for the task ahead.
After that, the elector cardinals cast ballots in secret. Each elector writes the name of their chosen candidate on a ballot. The ballots are then collected and counted. The voting is done in multiple rounds, usually with a break in between, to allow cardinals to reflect, discuss and pray.
Following each round, the ballots are burned in a stove. The smoke from the burning ballots is the most famous symbol of the conclave, as it signals the outcome of each voting session to the faithful gathered outside the Vatican. If no pope has been elected, the smoke is black, signaling a “non-election.” If a new pontiff is chosen, the smoke is white. The white smoke often leads to excited crowds gathering in St. Peter's Square.
When a two-thirds majority is finally reached, the presiding cardinal asks the elected individual if he accepts the election. If he accepts (a person can’t really say no), he is immediately declared the new pope. The new pope then chooses a papal name that he will use during his pontificate.
Here’s how the last 10 papal conclaves went and their duration:
— Pius X (1903): 4 days, 7 ballots
— Benedict XV (1914): 3 days, 10 ballots
— Pius XI (1922): 5 days 14 ballots
— Pius XII (1939): 2 days, 3 ballots
— John XXIII (1958): 4 days, 11 ballots
— Paul VI (1963): 3 days, 6 ballots
— John Paul I (1978): 2 days, 4 ballots
— John Paul II (1978): 3 days, 8 ballots
— Benedict XVI (2005): 2 days, 4 ballots
— Francis (2013): 2 days, 5 ballots
Announcement and inauguration
After the election is over, the newly-elected pope is presented to the public, followed by his inauguration. Both events are highly ceremonial.
Once elected, the senior cardinal deacon appears on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica and announces the new pope’s election with the words “Habemus Papam!” (Latin for “We have a pope!”).
The pope then appears on the balcony and gives his first blessing to the crowd outside and a global TV audience.
The inauguration of the new pope is a major event that includes a formal Mass, during which the pope is officially installed as the spiritual leader of the planet’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
Clemente Lisi is the executive editor of Religion Unplugged. He previously served as deputy head of news at the New York Daily News and a longtime reporter at The New York Post. Follow him on X @ClementeLisi.