Pope Francis, who died on April 21 at the age of 88, was buried in the papal or Santa María Basilica in Rome. Now, the cardinals of the novel Catholic Church that begin to vote on Wednesday for a successor in an assembly known as conclave. Only cardinals under 80 can vote in a papal election. While 135 Cardinals have a requirement of less than 80 and, therefore, are eligible to vote, two withdrew from the vote for health reasons, so 133 will vote.
The word “Concónimo” is familiar to many non -Catholics now thanks to the conclave of the Hollywood film, which was launched in 2024 and is available to see the transmission services.
Read more: Where to see the conclave, the Vatican’s thriller about choosing a new Pope
How to follow the conclave
There is no way to see the true papal conclave, since it is carried out inside the walls of the Sistine Chapel and is private. The film, although entertaining and well reviewed, is a fictional version. But the main news networks will cover any news about the event.
Perhaps the most interesting way to follow it is to tune the YouTube channel of the Vatican, which is broadcasting a live webcam from the Plaza de San Pedro in Rome, the great public square that exceeds the Vatican buildings.
News networks are also creating innovative ways for people to follow the conclave. NBC News offers a smoke camera, a webcam focused on the chimney of the Sistine Chapel where the white smoke will be possible to reveal when a Pope has been chosen.
CNN has created a 3D visualization of how the conclave will be seen.
USA Today has established a YouTube channel to transmit the coverage of the conclave, starting at 6 am to 9 pm et (3 am to 6 am pt) Wednesday.
CBS will transmit a special report on the conclave anchored by Norah O’Donnell and Tony Dokoupil, starting at 10:30 am Wednesday.
Who are the contestants?
Several cardinals are considered strong potential candidates for the papacy. Cardinal Matteo Zuppi or Italy stands out for his diplomatic efforts and alignment with the vision of Pope Francis. Cardinal Luis Tagle de Filipinas is also an outstanding figure, recognized for his defense for social justice and the relief of poverty. And Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana has been discussed as a possible first African Pope in the modern era.
Look for white smoke
After the cardinals vote and tell their ballots, the ballots are burned and the chemicals are added to the flames to produce black smoke if there is no majority. When a new Pope has a selected bone, chemicals will be added to the flames to produce white smoke. The crowds meet in the Plaza de San Pedro to observe the results.
In the film, Ralph Fiennes plays Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, who heads the election of the next Pope while investigating rumors about possible candidates. The film is based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris and is fictitious, although it represents some of the events of how real papal arrangements take place. In March, the film won the Academy Award for the best adapted script.
The vote has been taking all the time
Two thirds of the votes of the cardinals are required to choose the next Pope. The conclave occurs behind closed doors, and the voting account is never made public.
The conclave can take days or just a week to conclude. Althegh In the thirteenth century, according to reports, he played three years to choose a Pope, modern agrees have been much shorter. Pope Francis was chosen in the fifth vote on the second day of the conclave in 2013.
There can only be two rounds per day, and a candidate needs two thirds of the votes, plus one to be chosen. If that majority is not reached after three days of voting, the process stops so that the cardinals can pray and discuss their options, reports CBS News.
No, Trump won’t be pope
Any man who is baptized is Catholicly chosen Pope, but in reality, the next Pope is chosen from the Cardinals College. The cardinals are main members of the clergy and the Pope selected to serve him as advisors.
Days before Pope Francis “Funeral, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, told reporters, apparently joking:” I would like to be a potato. “But as not Catholic, Trump is not eligible to be a potato.
Trump also shared an image generated by AI as a potato in his real social media site last week. The official White House account published the image in X. Many did not find the fun image.
“We have just built our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to choose a new successor of St. Peter,” wrote the Catholic conference of the New York state about X. “They do not make fun of us.”
Trump’s vice president, JD Vance, wrote in X that he was fine with Trump’s image as Pope. Vance was not raised Catholic, but was baptized in faith in 2019. “As a general rule, I am well with the jokes with the account of the people,” Vance wrote.
