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Pope Francis Death: How Will Next Pope Be Chosen? Find Out
Pope Francis has died at the age of 88. Read on to know the selection process for the new pope.
Trigger Warning: This article contains mention of death.
In tragic news, Pope Francis passed away on Monday at the age of 88, as per the reports. Pope Francis was admitted to the hospital because of an infection that developed into pneumonia in both lungs, followed by kidney failure, per the Daily Mail.
Now, after Pope Francis's passing away, many people are wondering what will be the process of selecting the new Pope. To answer the same, The College of Cardinals– which includes senior Catholic clergy, many is whom were appointed by Francis– will be electing the next pope, per Al Jazeera.
Although the cardinals have exclusively selected candidates from their ranks for centuries, a candidate must be a male Roman Catholic who has been baptised in order to be eligible, per the article.
As of now, there are more than 240 cardinals globally. Cardinals who fall in the age range of 80 or below reportedly vote in the papal conclave. The conclave locks itself in the Sistine Chapel in order to prevent the influence from the outside and deliberates on the successors.
There are currently 138 qualified voters, even though the number of papal electors is usually limited to 120, according to the outlet. The members cast their respective votes through secret ballots and the process is overseen by nine cardinals, who are randomly chosen.
As per the reports, traditionally, two-thirds of the majority is required to select the new pope and voting goes on until this threshold is achieved. Ballots are burned with a chemical that turns black or white smoke after every round.
The black smoke signifies that no decision has been made, whereas white signifies that the new pope has been selected. After the election process, a top cardinal announces the new pope’s name from Saint Peter’s Basilica, as per the article.
This process takes place usually after the resignation or death of the sitting pope.
The selection of the new pope can take a few days, weeks, or even more than that. It reportedly depends on how divided the Cardinals are. The conclave can hold up to four rounds of voting each day in an attempt to achieve the required two-thirds majority.
If the decision has not been made even after 33 rounds, the top two candidates face off in a run-off vote, per the outlet’s article.
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