All 133 Catholic cardinals who will vote to choose the next pope have arrived in Rome ahead of this week’s conclave, the Vatican confirmed Monday. The cardinals will gather in secrecy inside the Sistine Chapel beginning Wednesday afternoon to begin the process of selecting a successor to Pope Francis.
The conclave will commence at 4:30 PM local time (1430 GMT) on Wednesday, with cardinals casting ballots until one candidate receives the required two-thirds majority to become the new leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. The election follows Pope Francis’s death last month after his 12-year papacy, marking the first papal conclave in over a decade.
The voting will take place beneath Michelangelo’s renowned frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, following centuries-old traditions that govern the papal election process. Cardinals will remain sequestered within Vatican City until a new pope is chosen, with smoke signals—black for an inconclusive vote, white for a successful election—alerting the public to the progress inside.
Thousands of pilgrims and journalists have gathered in Rome ahead of the conclave, with global attention focused on St. Peter’s Basilica, where the newly elected pope will first appear on the central balcony.
The Catholic Church now awaits its 267th pontiff, who will inherit a church navigating complex challenges, from internal reforms to its role in global affairs.
