Conclave to elect new pope begins in the Vatican

Mass at St. Peter's Basilica for the election of the Pope on May 7, 2025. Photo: Video screenshot from vaticannews

On May 7, 2025, the rites of the conclave began in the Vatican with a Mass at St. Peter's Basilica dedicated to the election of the new Pope, as reported by vaticannews.

The Dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, who led the service, called upon those present: "to pray, by invoking the Holy Spirit, is the only right and proper attitude to take as the Cardinal electors prepare to undertake an act of the highest human and ecclesial responsibility and to make a choice of exceptional importance. This is a human act for which every personal consideration must be set aside, keeping in mind and heart only the God of Jesus Christ and the good of the Church and of humanity."

"Let us pray that God will grant the Church a Pope who knows how best to awaken the consciences of all and the moral and spiritual energies in today’s society, characterised by great technological progress but which tends to forget God," he said.

Next, 133 cardinals will gather in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace, and at 5:30 PM (Kyiv time), the conclave will officially open in the Sistine Chapel.

The conclave includes cardinals from 70 countries who will be isolated from the outside world for the duration of the gathering until a new pontiff is elected.

To elect the new, 267th pope, a qualified majority of two-thirds of the votes is required – that is, 89 out of 133. On the first day, one round of voting takes place. If a new pontiff is not elected, then in the following days, voting occurs four times a day. The outcome of each round is signaled by smoke from a chimney on the chapel's roof: black smoke means no decision has been reached, white smoke indicates that a pope has been elected.

Earlier, the UOJ analyzed who might become the next Pope.

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