Conclave schedule: How the Catholic church picks a new pope

The process of choosing a new pope, or papal conclave, begins today, May 7.

The date was chosen by all cardinals who gathered at the Vatican for the fifth General Congregation, according to Vatican News.

The centuries-old tradition will take place in the Sistine Chapel, which will remain closed to the public during the conclave.

Schedule of events

Timeline:

May 7: Conclave begins

All 133 cardinal electors will attend a Eucharistic celebration in the morning, according to Vatican News.

In the afternoon, electors will head to the Sistine Chapel where they will take an oath of secrecy.

Following the oath, the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations will deliver a meditation. During this time, electors can reflect on the importance of choosing their new pontiff.

Prayers are recited and anyone with last-minute questions are permitted to ask them at this point.

Once electors are clear on the procedures and rules, the election process starts. 

There will be one round of voting on Wednesday. If no one is elected, the cardinals will hold their evening prayer service and retire for the night.

By the numbers:

On Thursday, the first full day, the cardinals will have morning prayers and head into the Sistine Chapel around 9:30 local time. There will be two rounds of voting in the morning and then two more rounds in the afternoon. They will once again retire for prayers and rest if no one is elected by the evening.

After each session, smoke from burning ballots will signal the result: Black smoke means no pope was selected; white smoke means "habemus papam" – we have a pope. At that point, the new pontiff will be expected on the balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square within an hour.

Because the ballots are only burned once in the morning and once in the evening, the smoke signals will likely be seen around midday local time and then late afternoon. Vatican City is currently six hours ahead of the U.S. East Coast, so that means the expected smoke times are around 5 to 7 a.m. ET and then 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

How many votes are needed to elect a pope? 

Dig deeper:

The voting process works similar to how the U.S. federal government: a two-thirds majority is required to choose the next pope.

Each cardinal writes his choice on a piece of paper and drops off their twice-folded ballot in a large chalice one by one, according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website.

Cardinals must be under 80 years old to cast a vote for a new pope.

Four rounds of balloting take place every day until a candidate receives the necessary number of votes.

What happens once all votes are in? 

The result of each ballot is counted aloud and recorded by three cardinals who are designated recorders.

If none of the candidates receives the necessary two-thirds of the vote, the ballots are burned in a stove near the chapel. Chemicals that are added to the stove will produce black smoke, signifying a pope has not been chosen yet. 

What happens when a candidate wins? 

When a candidate receives two-thirds of the vote, the dean will ask him if he accepts the election.

If he accepts, he chooses a papal name and wears the papal vestments before he goes out to the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and delivers his first public words as pope.

The ballots of the final and deciding vote are burned to produce white smoke to signal to the world a new pope has been chosen. 

ReligionWorld