The Vatican has officially announced that the conclave to elect the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church will begin on May 7, 2025.
The decision was made after cardinals held their first general congregation following the funeral of Pope Francis, who passed away earlier this month.
Only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote in a papal election. Out of the 135 eligible cardinal electors, it remains unclear exactly how many will be present when the conclave commences. Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera, the former Archbishop of Valencia, has already indicated he will not attend due to health issues.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni confirmed on Monday that over 180 cardinals have arrived in Rome, with just over 100 of them eligible to vote. During their meeting, the cardinals discussed the future of the Catholic Church and the numerous challenges it faces in today’s world.
In preparation for the conclave, Cardinals Reinhard Marx, Luis Antonio Tagle, and Dominique Mamberti were elected to assist Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who serves as Camerlengo — the official responsible for managing the temporal goods of the Holy See following the death of a pope.
The congregations will continue daily at 9 a.m. Rome time (3 a.m. ET), with breaks scheduled for May 1 and May 4.
The Sistine Chapel, where the voting will take place, was closed to the public on Monday as preparations began for the highly secretive balloting. The election process will be conducted under strict confidentiality, following centuries-old traditions.
Historically, recent papal conclaves have been relatively swift. The 2005 conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI and the 2013 conclave that chose Pope Francis each lasted just two days. Observers expect the coming election could also be concluded within a similar timeframe, though much depends on whether the cardinal electors can quickly rally around a candidate.
The eyes of the world — and the prayers of over 1.4 billion Catholics — will be fixed on the Vatican as the Church prepares to choose its new spiritual leader.
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