The Pope is selected through a process called the papal conclave, which is a secretive and centuries-old procedure conducted by the College of Cardinals, the highest-ranking clergy in the Catholic Church. Here is how it works:
- When a Pope dies or resigns, all cardinals under the age of 80, known as cardinal electors, travel to the Vatican to participate in the conclave. There are usually about 120 cardinal electors
- The conclave takes place in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. The cardinals take an oath of secrecy, and the chapel is sealed off to prevent outside influence or communication
- Voting occurs by secret ballot. Each cardinal writes the name of his chosen candidate on a ballot, folds it, and places it in a chalice. The votes are then counted aloud and recorded by designated cardinals
- To be elected, a candidate must receive a two-thirds majority of the votes. If no candidate achieves this, up to four rounds of voting happen daily (two in the morning and two in the afternoon) until a pope is chosen
- After each unsuccessful round, ballots are burned in a stove inside the chapel. Chemicals are added to produce black smoke, signaling to the public that no pope has been elected yet. When a pope is elected, the ballots are burned to produce white smoke, signaling the election of a new pope
- Technically, any baptized male Catholic can be elected pope, but in practice, the new pope is almost always chosen from among the cardinals, who are senior church leaders appointed by the previous pope
- Once elected, the new pope accepts the position and is immediately the supreme pontiff of the Catholic Church. Shortly after, he is introduced to the public with the traditional announcement "Habemus Papam" ("We have a pope")
In summary, the selection of the pope is a highly ritualized, secretive voting process by the cardinal electors in the Sistine Chapel, requiring a two-thirds majority and culminating in the public announcement signaled by white smoke
