Cardinals electing the next pope begin processing into the Sistine Chapel to open the conclave

Cardinals electing the next pope begin processing into the Sistine Chapel to open the conclave
Catholic cardinals are filing into the Sistine Chapel for the start of the conclave to elect a new pope to follow Pope Francis. VATICAN CITY — With all the pomp, drama and solemnity that the Catholic Church can muster, 133 cardinals on Wednesday began the secretive, centuries-old ritual to elect a successor to Pope Francis, opening the most geographically diverse conclave in the faith’s 2,000-year history.

Two by two, the cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel chanting the meditative “Litany of the Saints” as Swiss Guards stood at attention. The hymn implores the saints to help the cardinals find a new leader of the 1.4 billion-strong Catholic Church. CTVNews Logo
Cardinals electing the next pope begin processing into the Sistine Chapel to open the conclave

Conclave begins election of Pope Francis’ successor
Conclave begins election of Pope Francis’ successor

VATICAN CITY — With all the pomp, drama and solemnity that the Catholic Church can muster, 133 cardinals on Wednesday began the secretive, centuries-old ritual to elect a successor to Pope Francis, opening the most geographically diverse conclave in the faith’s 2,000-year history.

They bowed before the altar and took their places before taking an oath of secrecy and shutting the Sistine Chapel doors to start the conclave.

Watch the Vatican chimney camera for the sign of a pope’s election
Black smoke, anonymous ballots, the room of tears: A look at the secretive conclave
Earlier in the day, the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, presided over a morning Mass urging the voters to set aside all personal interests and find a pope who prizes unity. The world today needs a leader who can awaken consciences, he said.

Hailing from 70 countries, the cardinals have been sequestered from the outside world, their cellphones surrendered and airwaves around the Vatican jammed to prevent all communications until they find a new leader for the 1.4-billion-member church.

Francis named 108 of the 133 “princes of the church,” choosing many pastors in his image from far-flung countries like Mongolia, Sweden and Tonga that had never had a cardinal before.

In Pictures: Conclave at the Vatican
His decision to surpass the usual limit of 120 cardinal electors and include younger ones from the “global south” — often marginalized countries with lower economic clout — has injected an unusual degree of uncertainty in a process that is always full of mystery and suspense, with smoke signals telling the world if a pope has been elected or not.

Many cardinals hadn’t met one another until last week and lamented they needed more time to get to know each another, raising questions about how long it might take for one man to secure the two-thirds majority, or 89 ballots, necessary to become the 267th pope.

“Wait and see, a little patience, wait and see,” said Cardinal Mario Zenari, the Vatican’s ambassador to Syria.

A final Mass, then ‘All out’
The cardinals began the day by participating in the Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, attended by Vatican officials and the public as pilgrims outside braved brief rain showers to watch the proceedings on giant TV screens. The 91-year-old dean of the college, Re, prayed for cardinals to find the wisdom, counsel and understanding to elect a worthy new shepherd.

A view of the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, at the Vatican, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) (Gregorio Borgia/AP)
Wearing bright red vestments, the cardinals processed down the central aisle of the basilica as the Sistine Chapel’s boys’ choir sang. They took up their seats around the main altar, which lies above the traditional burial place of St. Peter, considered to be the first pope.

Re had presided at Francis’ funeral, delivering a heartfelt sermon on the reforming 12-year papacy overseen by Francis, history’s first Latin American pope.

At 4:30 p.m. (1430 GMT; 10:30 a.m. EDT) sharp the cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel. Standing before Michelangelo’s vision of heaven and hell in “The Last Judgment,” each cardinal was to place his hand on the Gospel and swears to carry out that duty.

The awesomeness of the chapel’s frescoes, and Michelangelo’s in particular, is meant to remind the cardinals of the weighty responsibility they bear. In his regulations for the conclave, St. John Paul II wrote that in the Sistine Chapel, “everything is conducive to an awareness of the presence of God.”

After the cardinals take their oaths, a senior cardinal delivers a meditation. The master of papal liturgical ceremonies, Archbishop Diego Ravelli, calls out “Extra omnes,” Latin for “all out.” Anyone not eligible to vote then leaves and the chapel doors close, allowing the work to begin.

The cardinals don’t have to take a first vote on Wednesday, but they are expected to. Assuming no winner is found, the Vatican said black smoke could be expected out of the Sistine Chapel chimney at around 7 p.m.

The cardinals retire for the night and return Thursday morning. They can hold up to two ballots in the morning and two in the afternoon until a winner is found.

While cardinals this week said they expected a short conclave, it will likely take at least a few rounds of voting. For much of the past century, it has taken between three and 14 ballots to find a pope. John Paul I — the pope who reigned for 33 days in 1978 — was elected on the fourth ballot. His successor, John Paul II, needed eight. Francis was elected on the fifth in 2013.

Lobbying before the conclave
While the cardinals are supposed to resist any “secular” influences in their choice, such lobbying abounded in Rome in the days before the conclave as various groups reminded cardinals of what ordinary Catholics want in a leader.

Young Catholics penned an open letter reminding cardinals that there is no church without young people, women and the laity. Conservative Catholic media slipped cardinals copies of a glossy book containing their assessments of contenders. Survivors of clergy sexual abuse warned cardinals that they would be held accountable if they failed to find a leader who will crack down on decades of abuse and cover-up.

Advocates for women’s ordination were sending pink smoke signals over the Vatican to demand that women be allowed to be priests and participate in a conclave.

Even the White House got involved, posting a photo of President Donald Trump dressed as a pope. Trump said it was a joke, but the gesture was denounced by former Italian Premier Romano Prodi as “indecent” political interference in matters of faith that harked back to times when secular rulers habitually wielded religion to stay in power.

Lisette Herrera, a 54-year-old tourist from the Dominican Republic, was deeply moved to find herself by chance in Rome as the conclave began. She decided Wednesday morning to skip the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain and pray instead in St. Peter’s Square.