History of the ceremony that will elect the successor of Pope Francis dates back to the 13th century and full of remarkable facts
After on Monday (21.br.2025), the Catholic Church begins preparations for choosing its successor. The ceremony responsible for the papal election carries centuries of centuries of traditions, transformations and striking historical facts.
Created formally in the 13th century, the conclave emerged in response to the long vacancy of the apostolic See after the Pope’s death. The election of his successor, took 2 years and 10 monthsperiod considered the longest in the history of the Church.
The impasse led to the promulgation of new rules at the 2nd Council of Lyon in 1274. Among them were the isolation of cardinals and restrictions on external communication, to force them to make a faster decision.
Since the pontificate of, the Church has sought to make the process more transparent. Over the years, Conclave has undergone several adaptations, but has maintained rigor and secret as central characteristics.
Get to know some curiosities involving the ceremony:
- What does the word “conclave” mean?
The term originates in Latin “cum clave”, Which means“key”What denotes the secret of the process and the isolation to which cardinals are subjected to elect the Pope.
- How long did the longest conclave lasted?
The longest conclave took almost 3 years (1268–1271), ending after 34 months with the election of. The delay led to the implementation of norms that govern the current process.
Among the notorious conclaves of history is the shortest ever recorded. According to, it occurred on October 31, 1503, when Giuliano della Rovere was elected Pope after a few hours of deliberation, adopting the name of.
The speed of the decision was attributed to intense previous joints and the institutional fragility left by the short pontificate of, which lasted only 26 days.
- And what did Pope Francis have elected? How long did it last?
After the resignation of the Pope Emeritus in 2013 (the 1st in almost 600 years to abdicate from office) was made the conclave that ended with the choice of the Pope, lasting 2 dias.
- Who organizes the conclave?
After the death of a Pope, he confirms the death and coordinates the preparations of both the funeral and the conclave. The position today is held by the 77 -year -old Irish Cardinal, who has been in office since February 14, 2019.
According to the Vatican, its mission is “Caring and managing the goods and temporal rights of the Apostolic See during the time it remains vacant”.
Vote Cardinals Votersunder 80 years old. They enter clausure, where they remain until the election of a new pontiff. The choice should be started 15 to 20 days after the Pope’s death.
The age limit and maximum number of participating cardinals were introduced in the 1970s by the Pope. Currently, according to the Vatican ,. The number of participants may vary as long as it does not exceed the limit of 120.
- How many votes does a cardinal need to be elected Pope?
The candidate needs to obtain 2/3 two valid votes. Scrutiny is secret and occurs in daily sessions within the Sistine Chapel.
- How does the public know whether or not a Pope was chosen?
The result is transmitted to the audience present in the Vatican and the world through a smoke that comes out of a chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel. Smoke is produced by burning banknotes with chemicals that produce the desired color. THE black smoke It means that the Pope was not chosen and the vote will follow.
When a cardinal receives the necessary votes, the dean of the College of Cardinals asks if he accepts the position. If so, the elected chooses his papal name and the banknotes are burned with the chemicals that produce the white smokewill communicate the choice of the new leader of the Roman Apostolic Catholic Church.
- What does the ad mean “Pope”?
When a name is chosen, the new Pope chooses his papal name, is presented to the public with the ad “We have a pope”—What means“ we have a Pope. ”The full announcement is:“I declare to you a great joy, we have a pope!“It means” I announce you a great joy: we have a Pope. “
- Who should be the next Pope?
According to the list of the site, a total of 12 cardinals are among the favorites to succeed Pope Francis. None of them are Brazilian, nor South American. Get to know this in this report of Poder360.
Despite the list, the process can keep surprises. Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, for example, was not among the favorites to succeed Bento 16, because at age 76 he was considered too old for the post.
Pope Francis’ death
Pope Francis (21.br.2025) at the age of 88. The pontiff was in 700 years. Your death:“At 7:35 am this morning [2h35 de Brasília], The bishop of Rome, Francisco, returned to the Father’s house. All his life was devoted to the service of the Lord and his church ”.
Francisco suffered from breathing problems. By 2023, he had spent 3 days hospitalized to treat bronchitis. In March 2024, he failed a speech during a Vatican ceremony.
Argentine born in the city of Buenos Aires on December 17, 1936, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was 2025 at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital in Rome, Italy, to treat bronchitis, but tests revealed bilateral pneumonia.
On February 22, the Vatican said that Francisco faced one and had to undergo a blood transfusion and that he “It was not out of danger”. The tests performed showed plateletopenia (decreased number of platelets in the blood) associated with anemia, which led to the need for transfusion. The religious and was recovering. His last public appearance was on Sunday (20.abr) ,.
Last words
On Sunday (20.br.2025), he made an appearance on the porch of the Basilica of St. Peter, during the celebration of Easter in the Vatican. In the wheelchair and struggling to speak, the high pontiff wished a “happy Easter” to the faithful.
Then he passed the word to the master of ceremonies, Monsignor Diego Giovanni Ravelli, who read the message “Urbi and the Orbi” (“To the city [de Roma] and to the world ”) of the Pope. In the end, he made the blessing before the thousands of faithful gathered in São Pedro Square.
In the message, the Pope urged politicians not to give in “To the logic of fear” And made an appeal to disarmament. “The need that each people feel to guarantee their own defense cannot become a widespread race to weaponry”he said.
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