The conclave that elects the new pope of the Catholic Church will begin on the 7th (local time) at the Vatican's Sistine Chapel. It is the first conclave since the election of Pope Francis 12 years ago. This conclave will see participation from 133 cardinals from 70 countries across five continents, marking the largest gathering.
The conclave will continue until a candidate receives the support of more than two-thirds of the voting cardinals, which is at least 89 votes. On the first day, a single vote will take place at 4:30 p.m., and subsequently, there will be a maximum of four votes daily, two in the morning and two in the afternoon.
The results of the voting can be determined by the color of smoke emitted from the chimney installed on the Sistine Chapel's roof. Black smoke indicates that no candidate has received more than two-thirds of the votes, meaning the papal election has failed, while white smoke signals that a new pope has been elected.
Once the new pope is elected, the Director General of the cardinals will ask the elected candidate about acceptance and the new papal name. Upon acceptance, the chief cardinal of the electoral college will go out onto the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica and proclaim "Habemus Papam," which means "we have a pope" in Latin.
The new pope will then appear before the public to give the first apostolic blessing to the world, called "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and to the world).
All 133 members of the electoral college entered the Italian capital of Rome on the 5th and settled into accommodations within the Vatican the following day, the 6th. During the conclave period, they will take a bus to the Sistine Chapel to participate in the election.
Over the past two weeks, the cardinals from various countries have held almost daily meetings to discuss the challenges faced by the Catholic Church and the necessary qualities for the new pope. During these meetings, the cardinals share their visions and images of the papacy through "three-minute speeches," which will significantly influence the voting.
The Vatican is focusing on security, including deciding to deactivate the mobile phone signal transmission system within the Vatican City one and a half hours before the first vote.
Cardinals must take a vow to keep all matters occurring within the conclave permanently confidential and enter the conclave leaving their personal mobile phones outside. Communication with the outside world, including phones, the internet, and reading newspapers, is strictly prohibited.