Conclave - 2025 - Overview

The Cardinals

Voting & Non-Voting Cardinals
2 Cardinal Electors have indicated that they will be unable to attend the conclave:
- Antonio Cañizares Cardinal Llovera, Archbishop Emeritus of Valencia, Spain
- John Cardinal Njue, Archbishop Emeritus of Nairobi, Kenya
Vinko Cardinal Puljić, Archbishop Emeritus of Vrhbosna {Sarajevo}, Bosnia and Herzegovina had previously indicated that he would not be able to attend, but after consulting with his medical team, now intends to participate.
Giovanni Angelo Cardinal Becciu, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints will not take part in the Conclave.
Of the 133 Voting Cardinals, 108 (80%) were named by Pope Francis (plus Becciu, mentioned above). 20 (16%) were named by Pope Benedict XVI (plus Llovera and Njue, mentioned above). The remaining 5 (4%) were named by Pope John Paul II (including Puljić, mentioned above).
Of the living Cardinals, only 1 was a Council Father at the Second Vatican Council
- Francis Arinze
- He is over 80 and thus will not be in the Conclave
Of the Cardinals alive today, 103 participated as Electors in the 2013 Conclave.
- Of those, only 27 are under 80 and may particiapte in the new Conclave.
  This includes Cardinal Llovera mentioned above.
Of the Cardinals alive today, 41 participated as Electors in the 2005 Conclave.
- Of those, only 5 are under 80 and may participate in the new Conclave.
  This includes Cardinal Puljić mentioned above.
Episcopal Lineages of the Cardinal-Electors
- All are descendents from the Scipione de Rebiba line except:
  - Mykola Bychok, C.Ss.R. is from the Jeremias II Tranos [Greek Orthodox] line
  - Sebastian Francis is from the François de Bovet line
  - Louis Raphaël I Sako is from the Youhanan VIII Hormez line
  - Baselios Cleemis (Isaac) Thottunkal is from the Ivanios Givergis Thomas Panikervitis (Panickerveetil) line
  - Timothy Peter Joseph Cardinal Radcliffe, O.P. is not a bishop, but if selected he would immediately be ordained by the Senior Cardinal-Bishop (which is Pietro Parolin, who is part of the Rebiba line).
    Normally the Dean of the College of Cardianls or the Vice-Dean would do the consecration, but both are over 80 and thus will not be in the Conclave.
Cardinal Radcliffe (mentioned above) will be the first non-Bishop Cardinal Elector since the 1962 document Cum Gravissima.
This is the first Conclave to take place during a Holy Year since 1700 (election of Pope Clement XI).
This is the first Conclave that will have more than 120 Cardinal Electors.
The limit was created in 1975 with the document Romano Pontifici Eligendo but has been routinely exceeded.
Average Age of the 133 Participating Cardinal Electors: 70.3 years
Average Years of Service as a Cardinal of the 133 Participating Cardinal Electors: 7.1 years
Average Age of all 252 Living Cardinals: 78.0 years
Average Years of Service as a Cardinal of all 252 Living Cardinals: 11.3 years
Consistories: All | 1983 | 1985 | 1988 | 1991 | 1994 | 1998 | 2001 | 2003 | 2006 | 2007 | 2010 | Feb 2012 | Nov 2012 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024
Highly Recommended: Cardinal Website by Prof. Salvador Miranda (no longer maintained)
Voting Cardinals | Non-Voting Cardinals | Cardinals by Rank
Oldest and Youngest Cardinals | Seniority, by Priestly Ordination | Seniority, by Bishop Ordination
Structured View of Cardinals | Structured View of the Roman Curia, before Sede Vacante
When does a Cardinal become ineligible to Vote in a Conclave?
Cardinals per Pope
Notes, Statistics, etc. from the Last Consistory to Create Cardinals

Offices

College of Cardinals
- Dean: Giovanni Battista Cardinal Re
- Vice-Dean: Leonardo Cardinal Sandri
- Secretary: Archbishop Ilson de Jesus Montanari
Camerlengo (Chamberlain): Kevin Joseph Cardinal Farrell
Vice Camerlengo (Chamberlain): Archbishop Ilson de Jesus Montanari
Senior Cardinal-Deacon: Dominique François Joseph Cardinal Mamberti
Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome: Baldassare Cardinal Reina
Major Penitentiary: Angelo Cardinal De Donatis

General Congregations

General Congregations are preparatory meetings held before the conclave begins. (UDG #7-13)

1st: Tuesday 22 April, 9a to 11.3a
Roughly 60 Cardinals were present
Particular Congregation established with the drawing of lots. The three assistants are: Cardinals Pietro Parolin (Cardinal Bishop), Stanisław Ryłko (Cardinal Priest), and Fabio Baggio, C.S. (Cardinal Deacon).
(They will serve for 3 days and then be replaced.)
2nd: Wednesday 23 April, 5p to 6.3p
103 Cardinals were present
3rd: Thursday 24 April, 9a to 12n
113 Cardinals were present
4th: Friday 25 April, 9.1a to 12.2n
149 Cardinals were present.
It was decided that on Sunday at 4p, the Cardinals will visit Santa Maria Maggiore: pass through the Holy Door, visit the tomb of Pope Francis, and celebrate Vespers together.
5th: Monday 28 April, 9a to 12.25n
More than 180 Cardinals were present, with just over 100 Cardinal-Electors.
The date of the start of the Conclave was determined to be Wednesday 7 May 2025.
General Congregations will continue every day until then, beginning at 9a local time, except for Thursday 1 May and Sunday 4 May.
The Particular Congregation members are now: Cardinals Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle (Cardinal Bishop), Reinhard Marx* (Cardinal Priest), and Dominique François Joseph Mamberti (Cardinal Deacon).
(They will serve for 3 days and then be replaced except for Cardinal Marx - he will remain per Praedicate Evangelium 235§3 as he is the Coordinator of the Council for the Economy.)
6th: Tuesday 29 April, 9a to 12.3n
183 Cardinals were present, with 124 of those being Cardinal-Electors.
Two Cardinals (unnamed) will not participate due to health reasons.
7th: Wednesday 30 April, 9a
(Nothing was made public.)
8th: Friday 2 May, 9a to 12.3n
More than 180 Cardinals were present, with 120 of them Cardinal-Electors.
Two Cardinal Electors have indicated they will be unable to participate for health reasons (see above).
Four additional Cardinal Electors have not yet arrived in Rome.
The Sistine Chapel is being prepared including installing the chimney on the roof.
9th: Saturday 3 May, 9a
177 Cardinals were present, with 127 of those being Cardinal Electors.
The Particular Congregation members are now: Cardinals Robert Francis Prevost, O.S.A. (Cardinal Bishop), Reinhard Marx (Cardinal Priest), and Marcello Semeraro (Cardinal Deacon).
The prepatory work on Santa Marta and Santa Marta Vecchia should be finished on Monday.
Cardinal Electors will be able to move in between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning.
10th: Monday 5 May, 9a
Attended by 179 Cardinals including 132 Electors.
Casa Santa Marta and Casa Santa Marta Vecchia will be ready for Cardinals to move in tommorrow (Tuesday) morning.
Room assignments were drawn by lot.
All 133 Cardinal Electors are now in Rome.
11th: Monday 5 May, 5p to 7p
170 Cardinals attended, 132 were Electors.
12th: Tuesday 6 May, 9a to 12.3n
173 Cardinals were present, of those 130 were Electors.
The annulment of the Fisherman's Ring and the lead seal was carried out.
No further General Congregations are planned.

Novendiali

Exequial Mass, 26 Apr, St. Peter's Square
Homily by Giovanni Battista Cardinal Re
27 Apr, St. Peter's Basilica
Homily by Pietro Cardinal Parolin
28 Apr, St. Peter's Basilica
Homily by Baldassare Cardinal Reina
29 Apr, St. Peter's Basilica
Homily by Mauro Cardinal Gambetti
30 Apr, St. Peter's Basilica
Homily by Leonardo Cardinal Sandri
1 May, St. Peter's Basilica
Homily by Víctor Manuel Cardinal Fernández
2 May, St. Peter's Basilica
Homily by Claudio Cardinal Gugerotti
3 May, St. Peter's Basilica
Homily by Ángel Cardinal Fernández Artime, S.D.B.
4 May, St. Peter's Basilica
Homily by Dominique Mamberti

Dates, Times, and Details

Pope Francis died at 7:35am Monday 21 April 2025, Domus Sanctæ Marthæ (aka Casa Santa Marta), Vatican City
Funeral Mass: 10a Saturday 26 Apr 2025, St. Peter's Square
Start of Conclave: Afternoon, Wednesday 7 May 2025, Sistine Chapel
Voting Cardinals in the Conclave: 133 (2 unable to attend, see above)
2/3 Required for election: 89
4 votes daily (2 in the morning, 2 in the afternoon)
After 3 full days (i.e. Sunday 11 May), voting is suspended for up to a full day ("to allow a pause for prayer, informal discussion among the voters, and a brief spiritual exhortation" - UDG #74)
then 7 more ballots and another break of up to a full day
then 7 more ballots and another break of up to a full day
then 7 more ballots and then a break to consider how to proceed
Wednesday 7 May 2025
- 7a: Cardinal electors move into Domus Sanctae Marthae and Casa Santa Marta Vecchia, if not already
- 10a: Mass for the election of the Supreme Pontiff (St. Peter's Basilica)
- 3.45p: Domus Sanctae Marthae to Pauline Chapel
- 4.3p: Procession of Cardinal electors from Pauline Chapel to Sistine Chapel
- 5.3p*: Extra Omnes!
- Meditation by Raniero Cardinal Cantalamessa, O.F.M. Cap., Preacher Emeritus of the Prefecture of the Papal Household
- One round of voting
- 8p*: Smoke
- Vespers
- Cardinal electors return to Domus Sanctae Marthae and Casa Santa Marta Vecchia
Thursday 8 May 2025 (regular schedule for a day in the conclave)
- 6.3a: Breakfast at Domus Sanctae Marthae
- 7.45a: Transfer to Pauline Chapel
- 8.15a: Mass in Pauline Chapel
- 9.15a: Lauds in the Sistine Chapel, followed by two rounds of voting
- 12n*: ballots from the morning votes burned, Cardinal electors return to Domus Sanctae Marthae and Casa Santa Marta Vecchia
- 1p: Lunch
- 4p: Cardinal electors to Sistine Chapel
- 4.3p: two rounds of voting
- 7p*: ballots from the afternoon votes burned, Vespers
- 7.3p: Cardinal electors return to Domus Sanctae Marthae and Casa Santa Marta Vecchia
* Rough Estimate
Note: only one "smoke signal" each morning and afternoon. If the first round of voting on a given morning or afternoon is successful (i.e., a pope is elected) then the white smoke will appear earlier.
White Smoke: a pope has been chosen (main bells at St. Peter's Basilica will also be rung)
Black Smoke: no pope chosen
Once white smoke appears, it will be another 30 minutes to an hour until the new pope is named by the senior Cardinal-Deacon at St. Peter's Square. Shortly after that (5 to 15 minutes), the new Pope will appear to give an "Urbi et Orbi" blessing
Both the US and Vatican City are on Daylight Saving Time.
All times given are local time in Vatican City. For the US, subtract 6 hours for EDT, 7 for CDT, 8 for MDT, and 9 for PDT. See the table below for rough times of the "smoke signals".
Note: this table does not apply to the first day which has a single evening vote and tends to be about an hour later than normal.

Rome Vatican City	EDT East Coast	CDT Central	MDT Mountain	PDT West Coast
12n	6a	5a	4a	3a
7p	1p	12n	11a	10a

Hint: If the smoke is substantially early (an hour or more), it is very likely to be White.

Background Information

Terminology/Glossary
Popes: In Sequence | by Papal Name | by Age at Election | by Age at Death | by Length of Reign
Pope John Paul II, the Great | Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI | Pope Francis
Average Length of a Papacy: roughly 7.5 years
Diocese of Rome
Conclave - 2013 - Overview
Conclave - 2005 - Overview
When does a Cardinal become ineligible to Vote in a Conclave?
Who can be elected Pope?
The Papacy: Some Statistics

Results / The New Pope

Pope Leo XIV (Robert Francis Prevost, OSA)
is the 267th pope. (266th successor to St. Peter)

Smoke Signals

Date	Time	Result
Wednesday 7 May	9:01p	Black Smoke
Thursday 8 May	11.52a	Black Smoke
Thursday 8 May	6.08p	White Smoke
Thursday 8 May	7.13p	Announcement of Pope Leo XIV
Thursday 8 May	7.23p	Pope Leo XIV Appears and Speaks

For clarity, 12n and 12m are used to indicated 12 noon and 12 midnight, respectively.

UDG = Universi Dominici Gregis, issued on 22 Feb 1996 by Pope John Paul II. Modified twice by Pope Benedict XVI: 11 Jun 2007 (unnamed Motu Proprio) and 22 Feb 2013 (Motu Proprio Normas Nonnullas). The document on the Vatican website.

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