Cardinals plan to pick a new pope next month behind closed doors. The Vatican says about 135 cardinals will meet in the Sistine Chapel on May 7. This follows Pope Francis' dying at age 88 on Easter Monday. His funeral happened last Saturday. Previous pope elections in 2005 and 2013 took just two days.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni announced that cardinals will first attend Mass at St. Peter's Basilica. Afterward, they'll enter the Sistine Chapel with no outside contact until they choose someone. The first day has one voting round, but they can vote four times daily after that. Cardinals need a two-thirds majority to elect a pope. Each writes his choice on a card saying, "I elect as Supreme Pontiff" in Latin.
People watch for smoke signals from the chapel chimney during the process. Black smoke means they keep voting, and white smoke shows they've chosen a new pope. The recent funeral drew thousands of mourners to St. Peter's Square. About 140,000 people lined Rome's streets as the pope's coffin traveled to Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni announced that cardinals will first attend Mass at St. Peter's Basilica. Afterward, they'll enter the Sistine Chapel with no outside contact until they choose someone. The first day has one voting round, but they can vote four times daily after that. Cardinals need a two-thirds majority to elect a pope. Each writes his choice on a card saying, "I elect as Supreme Pontiff" in Latin.
People watch for smoke signals from the chapel chimney during the process. Black smoke means they keep voting, and white smoke shows they've chosen a new pope. The recent funeral drew thousands of mourners to St. Peter's Square. About 140,000 people lined Rome's streets as the pope's coffin traveled to Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica.
