The election process for the leader of the 1.4 billion-strong global Catholic Church will begin with a Mass at St. Peter's Basilica on Wednesday morning.
The televised service will be presided over by Cardinal
Giovanni Battista Re, the 91-year-old Dean of the College of Cardinals, who
also officiated Pope Francis' funeral.
On Wednesday evening, under the iconic domed ceiling of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, the cardinals will cast their first vote to elect the 267th Pope of the Catholic Church.
According to Italian state media, mobile signals within
Vatican territory will be deactivated early in the afternoon to prevent any
participant in the conclave from contacting the outside world.
The Vatican will also deploy signal jammers around the Sistine Chapel to block electronic surveillance or communication, Italian news agency ANSA reported.
Phone signals will be cut off at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday—an hour and a half before the cardinals are scheduled to proceed to the Sistine Chapel to begin the conclave, according to Italian state broadcaster RAI.
At approximately 4:15 p.m., the 133 cardinal electors will gather in the Pauline Chapel and form a solemn procession to the Sistine Chapel.
During the procession, they will sing a litany and the hymn Veni Creator—an invocation to the Holy Spirit, traditionally seen as the divine guide in the selection of a new pope.
Once inside the Sistine Chapel, with one hand resting on a copy of the Gospels, each cardinal will take an oath of secrecy, swearing never to reveal any details about the conclave.
According to the Vatican Media, after the final oath is taken, a period of meditation will follow. Then, the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, Diego Ravelli, will proclaim “Extra omnes”—Latin for “everyone out.”
This phrase signals the beginning of the cardinals' isolation and the formal start of the conclave.
Ravelli is one of only three ecclesiastical staff permitted to remain in the chapel during the initial stages, though all non-electors must exit during the actual vote counting.
The cardinals will not be locked in, but on Tuesday, Vatican officials sealed the entrances to the Apostolic Palace, which includes the Sistine Chapel, with lead seals, where they will remain until the conclave concludes.
Swiss Guards will stand watch at all entrances.
While it is technically possible for a pope to be elected in the first round, this has not occurred in centuries.
If the initial vote does not result in the required
two-thirds majority, the cardinals will return to the Casa Santa Marta
guesthouse for dinner.
It is often during these informal moments that critical discussions occur and consensus begins to form around potential candidates.
From Thursday, May 8, 2025, cardinals will take breakfast between 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m., followed by Mass at 8:15 a.m.
Two votes will take place in the morning, followed by lunch
and a period of rest. Notably, the last two conclaves concluded by the end of
the second day.
At this stage, it is impossible to predict whether this conclave will be long or short.
However, cardinals are aware that a protracted process may be interpreted as a sign of deep division.
As the cardinals pray, deliberate, and vote, thousands of faithful will gather outside the Sistine Chapel, watching the small chimney to the right of St. Peter’s Basilica—waiting for the white plume of smoke that signals the election of the new pope.
