Vatican Announces May 7 Start Date for Election of New Pope

The Vatican has announced that the election of the next pope will begin on May 7, 2025, as the global Catholic community prepares for a historic conclave.

The closed-door gathering will take place inside the iconic Sistine Chapel and will see around 135 cardinals from across the world participate in the solemn and secretive process.

This election follows the death of Pope Francis, who passed away at the age of 88 on Easter Monday. His funeral, held on Saturday at St Peter’s Square, drew thousands of mourners, including politicians, royalty, and faithful from around the world.

According to Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni, the conclave will commence after a solemn mass at St Peter’s Basilica. Once the cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel, they will be completely isolated from the outside world until a new pope is chosen.

There is no fixed timetable for the election. However, history suggests it might not take long; previous conclaves in 2005 and 2013 lasted just two days. Cardinals will conduct one round of voting on the first afternoon, then up to four votes per day until someone secures the necessary two-thirds majority.

Should the conclave reach a third day without electing a new pope, the process allows for a pause for prayer and reflection.

The world will watch for the symbolic smoke signals from the Sistine Chapel chimney: black smoke for an inconclusive vote, and white smoke to signal the election of a new pontiff.

Meanwhile, the memory of Pope Francis was honored with great reverence. After the funeral mass, an estimated 140,000 people lined the streets of Rome to bid farewell as his coffin traveled in a procession through the historic city, passing landmarks such as the Colosseum and the Forum.

On Sunday, the Vatican released the first images of Pope Francis’s tomb at the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica, marked simply with his name and a single white rose beneath a softly lit crucifix.

The upcoming conclave promises to be a pivotal moment not just for the Catholic Church but for the wider world, as the faithful await the announcement of their new spiritual leader.

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Vatican Announces May 7 Start Date for Election of New Pope