After the death and funeral of Pope Francis, the Vatican has announced that on May 7 it will begin its top-secret conclave process to select a new pope.
May 7 is only the starting date: there is no time limit for the 135 cardinals under the age of 80, summoned from all over the globe, to reach consensus.
Cardinals will join forces of prayer at St Peter’s Basilica in a solemn mass first.
Believers across the world are also encouraged to pray for a good pope that will diminish strife across a turbulent world.
Then, the voting cardinals will hold a secret ballot inside the Sistine Chapel.
They will vote once, and then four times over.
Francis was elected after five rounds of voting, which is considered an easy victory.
A new pope is one that wins 2/3 of votes.
Previous conclaves lasted around two days — if it takes longer than three days, cardinals are to stop and pray for a day.
During the conclave, cardinals are forbidden to have any sort of contact with the outside world until a new pope is elected.
The only sign of progress for those outside the Vatican will come from its chimney.
Black smoke means no pope.
White smoke means a pope has been elected.
When this happens, the new pope will receive his papal robes in “The Room of Tears” – called thus for the emotional weight it carries.
