Vatican announces May 7 conclave to elect next pope

Roman Catholic cardinals will meet in a secret conclave to elect the new leader of the global Church starting from May 7, the Vatican has confirmed. 

The 16th-century Sistine Chapel, where conclaves are held, was closed to tourists on Monday to allow for preparations.

Cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote for Pope Francis's successor, meaning some 135 from around the world are expected to participate in the highly secretive ballot. Francis, pope for 12 years, appointed nearly 80 per cent of the eligible cardinal electors.

A pope is elected when a candidate receives at least two-thirds of the eligible vote. Modern papal conclaves have stretched over more than one day and have involved multiple ballots.

Francis, who was buried after a funeral attended by world leaders and dignitaries on Saturday, was elected on the second day and on the fifth ballot of voting among Roman Catholic cardinals in 2013.

Since the 20th century, the longest conclaves were five days, for Pius X in 1903 and Pius XI in 1922. The later conclave saw 14 rounds of voting.

Francis, who died April 21 at age 88 after a series of health challenges, was the first pope elected from Latin America, and the first from the Jesuit order. 

There has never been a pope in modern times from North America, Asia, Oceania or Africa. There have been popes from what was considered Asia and Africa, although that hasn't occurred in at least 1,300 years.

LISTEN l Theologian Massimo Faggioli on what might transpire at May conclave:

The Sunday Magazine18:19The politics at play in electing a new pope

In the days following the funeral of Pope Francis, 135 cardinal electors will gather in a conclave at the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel to elect a new leader of the Catholic Church. They’ll be choosing not only a faith leader, but a world leader too. And the current global upheaval and uncertainty we face is sure to weigh on their minds. Theologian and Vatican expert Massimo Faggioli joins Piya Chattopadhyay to share his insights on how the church may seek to position itself in the world for the years to come, and just how much influence the institution truly has on the world stage today.

4 Canadian cardinals can vote

Francis made a priority of appointing cardinals from places that had never had them, such as Myanmar, Haiti and Rwanda. The cardinal electors now come from 71 countries, against just 48 in 2013. 

Italians make up the biggest single national bloc, with 17 cardinals, against 10 from the United States and seven from Brazil. 

WATCH l World leaders, dignitaries gather to say goodbye to Pope Francis:

Pope Francis laid to rest at Santa Maria Maggiore basilica after funeral

9 days ago

Duration 3:29

Pope Francis was laid to rest Saturday at Santa Maria Maggiore basilica a a funeral mass at St. Peter’s Square attended by as many as a quarter million people. Francis died Monday at age 88 after suffering a stroke.

In all, there are 53 cardinal electors from Europe, 23 from Asia, 18 from Africa, 17 from South America, 16 from North America, four from Central America and four from Oceania.

Four Canadian cardinals are eligible to participate in the conclave: Thomas Collins, Michael Czerny, Francis Leo and Gérald Lacroix.

Marc Ouellet, who turns in 81 in June, is ineligible to vote but is not eliminated from consideration as the next and 267th pope. When the 2013 ballots were revealed, Ouellet had placed third in all five ballots, behind Italian cardinal Angelo Scola and Argentina's Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who chose the name Francis as pope in honour of St. Francis of Assisi. 

Many of the cardinals are little known outside their own countries and they will have a chance to get to know one another at meetings known as General Congregations that take place in the days before a conclave starts and where a profile of the qualities needed for the next pope will take shape.

"We don't know each other," said Swedish cardinal Anders Arborelius, who will enter the conclave.

White smoke, bells to herald pope

Cardinals cast their votes on papers printed with the Latin words "Eligo in Summum Pontificem" ("I choose as Supreme Pontiff"). The ballots are gathered together and burned at the end of the morning and afternoon sessions, with smoke pouring from a makeshift chimney above the Sistine Chapel. 

Black smoke indicates inconclusive votes, while white smoke tells the outside world that a pope has been chosen. 

WATCH l Explaining the conclave traditions:

How a new pope is chosen | Conclave explained

14 days ago

Duration 4:07

The process for selecting a new pope to lead more than one billion Catholics worldwide comes down to an ancient voting ritual, cloaked in secrecy. CBC's Ellen Mauro explains how the conclave works.

The great bell of St. Peter's Basilica will ring out as an additional sign that a new pope has been elected.

After a pope is chosen, a senior cardinal appears on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica and announces in Latin: "Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum. Habemus Papam." That translates to: "I  announce to you great joy. We have a pope."

He identifies the new pope by his given name, with his first name translated into its Latin version, and then announces the papal name, also in Latin, the new leader of the Church has chosen. 

The papal names most often chosen have been John (23 times), Gregory (16), Benedict (16), Clement (14), Innocent (13), Leo (13) and Pius (12).