How is the Pope selected?
Pope Francis, the first pope from Latin America and leader of the Catholic Church for more than a decade, died on April 21, 2025. He was 88 years old. After a period of mourning, cardinals from around the world will gather in the Vatican to select a new pope. The Catholic Church follows a centuries-old process known as the papal conclave to choose a new pope. The papal conclave usually occurs 15-20 days after a pope dies or resigns, as in 2013 when Pope Benedict XVI resigned.
Who is eligible to become pope?
According to Canon law, all baptized Roman Catholic males are eligible to become pope. With that said, only cardinals have been elected pope in the past 600 years.
Who votes for the pope?
Only cardinals under the age of 80 at the time the pope dies are eligible to vote for the new pope. These cardinals are known as cardinal electors. According to the Vatican, as of April 19, there were 252 cardinals from 93 countries plus Jerusalem, of whom 135 are eligible to cast votes for the next pope.
More than a third of the cardinal electors are from Europe, making it the continent with the highest representation among those eligible to choose the next pope. Asia is second with 24 electors; Africa has 18; South America has 17; North America has 16; Central America has 4; and Oceania has 4.
The 135 cardinal electors come from 71 countries. The largest contingent of cardinal electors comes from Italy, which has 17. The country with the second-most cardinal electors is the United States, with 10, followed by Brazil with 8. The map below shows a breakdown of cardinal electors by country.
How is the election conducted?
Cardinal electors are sequestered in the Sistine Chapel until a new pope is elected to prevent external influence. Cardinal electors cast secret ballots in multiple rounds until one candidate receives a two-thirds majority. Once elected, the new pope accepts the position and chooses a papal name. White smoke from the chapel chimney signals a successful election. While the elections of popes have varied in length, all from 1900 onwards have concluded in a matter of days.
