Pope Francis passed away on the 21st, and the Vatican will enter the process of selecting the next pope, known as the "conclave," immediately after the funeral. The conclave will be held for the first time in 12 years since former Pope Benedict XVI resigned in 2013.
The term "conclave" is a combination of the words "key (clavis)" and "with (cum, con)," originally meaning "a room that can be locked with a key" in Latin. It is named this way because the participants in the election are completely cut off from contact with the outside world until the election of the pope is completed.
The pope is elected by 140 cardinals under the age of 80. Voting in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican will continue until a candidate receives more than two-thirds of the votes. There is no set deadline, so voting can go on indefinitely.
There are no procedures for declaring candidacy, and all cardinals with voting rights become candidates immediately. Candidates are revealed and narrowed down exclusively through voting. The results are announced by the white smoke (success in election) or black smoke (failure in election) rising from the chimney after the vote. If the election is successful and the elected person accepts the position, an official declaration of "Habemus Papam (We have a pope)" is made.
The next pope is expected to be identified within 2 to 3 days after the conclave begins. In the past 100 years, all seven conclaves held did not exceed four days. Potential candidates for the next pope include Cardinal Pietro Parolin (70), the Vatican Secretary of State, Hungarian Cardinal Péter Erdő (73), who has opposed the acceptance of refugees in Europe as well as divorce and same-sex marriage, and Cardinal Gerhard Müller (78) from Germany.
Currently, the number of cardinals by region is highest in Europe (54), followed by Asia (21), Africa (17), North America (16), and South America (15). Therefore, the voting inclinations of cardinals from various regions are likely to be a significant factor in determining the next pope.