The conclave to elect a new pope began on May 7, 2025. The process of the conclave is governed by a rule book and a prayer book.
The conclave began with a public Mass for the election of the pope. This is the only part of the conclave that the public can be present for until the new pope is announced. After Mass, all of the cardinals gather in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace before processing into the Sistine Chapel. When all of the cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel, they each take an oath to observe the rules of the election, keep everything having to do with the election a secret, and swear if they are elected that they will faithfully serve the Church.
After each cardinal has taken the oath, the Master of Papal Liturgical Ceremonies says, “Extra omnes” (“Everybody else, out”) and closes the doors of the Sistine Chapel. After the doors are closed, the cardinals spend time in prayer before deciding if they will cast one ballot that night. The cardinals get the choice on the first night, but traditionally they have cast a ballot that night.
The next day and every day that follows, two ballots are cast each morning and two ballots are cast each afternoon until someone gets two-thirds of the votes. If the vote reaches the fourth day with no one being elected, the cardinals take an extended time of prayer. In modern times, conclaves have typically only lasted two or three days.
When someone gets two-thirds of the votes, all ballots, notes, and tallies of votes are burned with a chemical additive to produce white smoke signaling that a new pope has been chosen. The senior cardinal deacon will then come to the central balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica and announce, “Habemus Papam” (“We have a pope”) and the name of the new pope.
On May 8, 2025 the conclave elected Cardinal Robert Prevost to be pope. He took the name Pope Leo XIV. Pope Leo XIV is from Chicago, Illinois and is the first ever American pope.
Sources: https://www.usccb.org/news/2025/how-conclave-works-its-guided-rule-book-and-prayer-book
