Roman Catholic cardinals will begin their conclave to elect the Church's 267th pontiff and a successor to Pope Francis on May 7, the Vatican said.

Vatican City

Pope Francis, the first Latin American pontiff, has died at age 88 from a cerebral stroke and subsequent heart failure, the Vatican said.

Pope Francis Dies

Roman Catholic cardinals from all over the globe have convened in Rome for the conclave to elect the Church's 267th pope. This is one of the world's most secretive electoral processes, held in the Sistine Chapel. The cardinals will be isolated, with no communication devices such as phones, internet, or television. Only cardinals under the age of 80 can participate in the election, although all cardinals, regardless of age, may join the preliminary General Congregations.

There were 135 cardinals at the time of Pope Francis's passing, though it remains uncertain if all will attend the conclave. While the pope traditionally is chosen from among the cardinal electors, it is not a strict requirement. The electors, hailing from 71 countries, are predominantly Italians, comprising 17 cardinals.

The voting process is intricate: each cardinal writes their choice in Latin on a slip, attempting to disguise their handwriting. The votes are collected and counted, with subsequent rounds conducted if no candidate achieves the necessary majority. If necessary, after about 13 days, a runoff occurs between the top two candidates. A pope is elected when one candidate receives a two-thirds plus one majority. The conclusion of the conclave is announced to the world by smoke: black smoke signifies an inconclusive vote, while white smoke indicates that a new pope has been chosen.



How will the next pope be chosen?

Roman Catholic cardinals from around the world are in Rome, where they will begin one of the world's oldest and most secretive electoral processes. The cardinals hold their conclave in the Sistine Chapel. They will be banned from communicating with the outside world, meaning no phones, television or internet. Only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to take part. There were 135 cardinals when Francis died, but it is not known if all will attend. The person chosen as pope does not have to be one of the cardinal electors, but in practice now always is. The cardinal electors come from 71 countries, up from 48 in 2013 when Francis was elected. Italians make up the biggest single national bloc with 17 cardinals. Cardinals aged 80 or over can join the daily closed-door sessions organized ahead of the election called General Congregations. The cardinals vote twice a day, except for the first day of the conclave, when there is one vote. Vatican expert Philip Pulela explains the voting process. What happens inside is that each of the cardinals writes on a slip of paper which says in Latin something along the lines, I choose as pope so and so. They write it down in their own handwriting and they are encouraged to masquerade their handwriting. Then these votes are counted and if there are enough, a new pope has been elected. If there are not enough, they go to another vote. If no one is elected, after about 13 days, a runoff is held between the two leading candidates. Votes are held until one candidate has a majority of two-thirds plus one. The paper ballots are gathered and burned, with the smoke pouring from a makeshift chimney above the Sistine Chapel. Black smoke means an inconclusive vote. When an official burns the ballots with special chemicals to make the smoke white, the world will know a new pope has been chosen.

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Pope Francis Dies