(NewsNation) — Pope Francis died the day after Easter following a lengthy hospital stay and ongoing health concerns, according to the Vatican.
His death comes nearly a month after he was released from a five-week hospital stay for double pneumonia. Francis spent his final days celebrating Holy Week, the seven days leading up to Easter Sunday, and advocating for the marginalized.
The pope’s passing will set off the formal process to select his successor, known as a conclave.
What is a conclave?
The word conclave is derived from the Latin words, com meaning “with” and clavis meaning “key.”
It refers to the practice of Catholic cardinals gathering in a closed room or hall to vote on who should be the next pope.
Due to political turmoil, it took more than two years to elect Pope Gregory X in 1271. To ensure the papal election was not dragged out in the future, Gregory X ensured cardinals would remain together until a new pontiff was decided.
That has led to the current practice of cardinals being locked in at Domus Sanctae Marthae, adjacent to the Vatican, to vote. They do not leave the premises until a new pope has been elected.
What happens before the conclave?
Per the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the conclave usually occurs around 15 to 20 days following the death or resignation of a pope.
The College of Cardinals, a group of cardinals and Vatican officials who are personally chosen by the pontiff, meet.
They attend Mass at the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Basilica and seek guidance from the Holy Spirit as to who the next pope should be.
Who votes in a papal conclave?
Only cardinals are allowed to vote in a papal conclave. Though, it is not any type of cardinal.
The voters are members of the College of Cardinals and are under the age of 80.
It was not always this way. Pope Paul VI introduced the threshold in 1970 and it has remained so ever since.
The cardinals vote anonymously and place their vote in a chalice. Their votes are read aloud, but not who voted for who as they undertake an oath of secrecy beforehand.
According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, there is a limit of 120 voting cardinals, they are referred to as “the cardinal electors.”
Who can receive votes in a conclave?
The results of a papal conclave are binding, and while it does not need to be a cardinal, that is the usual choice.
Specific requirements include the fact that you must be male and have been baptized into the Catholic Church.
However, a non-cardinal has not been elected since Pope Urban VI in 1378.
How many votes are needed in a papal election?
During the first day of the conclave, all cardinals vote. A two-thirds majority is needed to elect a new pontiff.
They must complete four rounds of voting, and thus four ballots a day, until someone receives a two-thirds majority.
Each cardinal writes his choice on a paper inscribed with the words “Eligo in summen pontificem,” or “I elect as Supreme Pontiff.”
They approach the altar one by one and say: “I call as my witness, Christ the Lord who will be my judge, that my vote is given to the one who, before God, I think should be elected.”
If no one is elected after three days voting pauses for up to one day. Voting resumes and if no pope is elected after another seven ballots, there is another pause, and so on until about 12 days of balloting have passed.
Once a two-thirds majority occurs, the dean of the College of Cardinals asks the individual if they accept the election. If so, he picks a papal name and is dressed in papal vestments before going out to the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to greet the people below.
What color smoke rises when a pope is elected?
Black smoke emanates from the Sistine Chapel if a pope has not yet been chosen. If the smoke is white, a new pope has been elected. The bells of St. Peter’s are also rung.
If voting does not reach the required two-thirds majority, the ballots are burned in a stove near the Sistine Chapel with specific chemicals that help produce black smoke.