The death of Pope Francis has led to an outpouring of grief among Catholics, tributes from around the world and speculation as to what happens next in the Vatican. Pope Francis was elected on March 13, 2013, after gaining the most votes among the Catholic Church’s powerful College of Cardinals.
The process of selecting a new pope begins with the summoning of the cardinals, who are the Catholic Church’s most senior officials. While there are more than 200 cardinals hailing from 69 countries, 120 of them are expected to elect the next pope, who will be one among them.
The reason for excluding a minority is due to a rule first introduced in 1975 which excluded cardinals over the age of 80 from casting a vote.
The cardinals’ gathering is known as the Papal Conclave, which was recently dramatised in the hit film Conclave, starring Ralph Fiennes and Isabella Rossellini.
Cardinals come from Latin America, North America, Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania for the voting. They act as head of the Catholic Church as followers of the faith all around the world await the announcement of a new pope.
During this period, all the cardinals involved live inside the Vatican and are barred from making any contact with the world outside.
In strict secrecy, the cardinals vote until a candidate gains a majority of the votes and accepts the role.
However, the voting can take days, weeks and even months before a pope is chosen. This is due to the fact that a cardinal who gains the most votes can refuse.
It took five ballots for 115 cardinals to elect Pope Francis, who up until his becoming pontiff had been the Archbishop of Buenos Aires.
The only clue as to whether or not a new pope has been found is the smoke which spirals skywards from the Sistine Chapel twice a day.
Black smoke shows the cardinals have failed to elect a pope while white smoke signals success. The smoke itself results from the burning of the ballot papers.
Once elected, the successful candidate chooses a papal name, gets into his new robes and receives acts of homage and obedience from his cardinals.
The process culminates in the announcement of the newly elected pontiff from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, from where he will make his first public appearance.
