What happens after Pope Francis' death?

Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church, died at 88-years-old at the Vatican Monday. This is the beginning of a period of mourning, which will eventually lead to the selection of his successor. 

There is a set of rules in place from the Vatican to govern the papal transition. The traditional process starts with cardinals – who are senior officials appointed by the pope – from around the world going to the Vatican to gather for the conclave. 

All of the cardinals who are eligible to vote – those who are under the age of 80 – gather to pick who Francis’ successor will be. Currently, there are 136 eligible cardinals. They must agree on a candidate, which typically takes two to three weeks. This occasionally gets drawn out longer if the cardinals struggle to agree on one candidate. 

Until the process is completed, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who was born in Ireland and became a naturalized American citizen, is the acting head of the Vatican. He has sealed the Papal Apartment of the Apostolic Palace – the traditional residence of the pope – to start the mourning period.

The conclave is expected to begin between 15-20 days after Francis’ death, whenever all of the cardinal electors arrive in Rome. 

Once the conclave begins, the cardinals will all receive a paper ballot inside the Sistine Chapel to write their chosen candidate on. Any Roman Catholic male can be chosen, but the next pope is typically from the College of Cardinals. 

Each cardinal will then walk to the altar in the order of seniority to place his vote in a chalice. All the votes are then counted, and the results are read out loud to the cardinals. A new pope is chosen when a cardinal receives two-thirds of the vote. 

Two votes in the morning and two in the afternoon will typically take place each day until a new pope is chosen. The votes only take place during the second, third, and fourth days of the conclave. On day five, cardinals will get a break for prayer and discussion before voting can continue for seven more rounds. There will be one more break after that, then the cycle will continue. 

Since the voting process is done secretly, the general public does not get to witness this process. However, all eyes will still be on the Vatican – specifically the chimney – as the cardinals decide who will become the next pope. 

The first confirmation of a new pope will be when white smoke is seen coming out of the Vatican’s chimney. This is because ballots are burned twice a day, after the morning votes and the afternoon votes. When a new pope has not been chosen, a chemical to make the smoke black will be burned with the ballots. 

Roughly 30 minutes after white smoke appears from the chimney, the new pope will make an appearance on the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square. He will have his papal name announced and will then speak briefly before saying a prayer. The formal coronation takes place days after the election.