Skip next section Cardinals fail to agree on next pope in first voteMay 7, 2025
Cardinals fail to agree on next pope in first voteWhen the smoke rising from a Sistine Chapel chimney is white, it will mean cardinals agreed on the next popeImage: Alessandra Tarantino/AP Photo/picture allianceBlack smoke rose from the Vatican on Wednesday, signaling that Catholic cardinals — as expected — did not reach a decision on who should lead the church as the next pope.
Thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square needed to be patient as it took longer than expected for the smoke to billow from the chimney, more than three hours after cardinals began the conclave.
The next vote is to take place on Thursday.
With that, DW will pause its live coverage of the papal conclave.
https://p.dw.com/p/4u4Qg
Skip next section Campaigners release pink smoke to demand women’s ordinationMay 7, 2025
Campaigners release pink smoke to demand women’s ordinationSome Catholic women campaigners released pink smoke near the Vatican to call for women priestsImage: Bernat Armangue/AP Photo/picture allianceAs cardinals, all men, started the conclave, a group of campaigners released pink smoke in a park overlooking St. Peter’s Basilica to demand that women be allowed to seek ordination.
“We are saying to the cardinals, you cannot keep ignoring 50% of the Catholic population. You cannot go into a locked room and discuss the future of the Church without half of the Church,” Miriam Duignan, one of the campaigners, told the AFP news agency.
“Whoever they elect needs to be brave enough to properly tackle the question of women’s inclusion, because so far it has not been, even by Pope Francis,” said Duignan.
The pink smoke was a play on the smoke released from the Sistine Chapel chimney to indicate whether a new pope has been elected.
Although women have started to take senior lay roles in the global Catholic Church, especially under Pope Francis’s papacy, they remain excluded from the priesthood.
Kate McElwee, executive director of the Women’s Ordination Conference campaign group, described this exclusion as an injustice and a “crisis” for the Catholic Church.
“While the world may wait for white smoke or black smoke, we send up pink smoke as our hope that the Church may someday welcome women as equals,” she said.
https://p.dw.com/p/4u4KG
Skip next section Doors of the Sistine Chapel close, conclave beginsMay 7, 2025
Doors of the Sistine Chapel close, conclave beginsThe doors of the Sistine Chapel have closed.
Catholic cardinals who will select the next pope were sealed behind the heavy wooden doors.
The conclave officially began, and, if all goes according to the Vatican’s plan, the public won’t hear anything until a new pope is elected and white smoke rises from a chimney on top of the Sistine Chapel.
https://p.dw.com/p/4u45T
Skip next section Cardinals begin procession into the Sistine ChapelMay 7, 2025
Cardinals begin procession into the Sistine ChapelThe 133 cardinals who will choose Pope Francis’ successor are walking from the Pauline Chapel to the Sistine Chapel to begin the conclave.
As they enter, they individually swear an oath of secrecy.
They will be locked in ahead of a first vote later today.
Vatican’s famous chimney readied for next papal signalTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
https://p.dw.com/p/4u3hh
Skip next section Before voting gets under way — DW looks at the history of conclaves May 7, 2025
Before voting gets under way — DW looks at the history of conclaves As stated earlier in our blog, the modern papal conclave began after the nearly three-year negotiation that resulted in the papacy of Gregory X in 1274, but does today’s ritual vote have anything to do with its predecessors?
Gregory was elected after 18 cardinals were literally bricked-up in a palace until they finally made their choice. Sequestration remains a key aspect of the vote even now.
The first conclave to feature regular daily voting was held in Arezzo, Tuscany, resulting in the 1276 election of Pope Innocent V. The secret written ballot was introduced by Gregory XV in 1621, and the oath of secrecy — even after the conclave — was codified by Pius X in 1904.
The conclaves were not always held in Rome, most notably during the so-called Avignon papacy (1309-1376) which arose out of conflict between the pope and the Holy Roman Emperor and then the Catholic Church’s subsequent four-decade schism, which saw two popes on two thrones — Rome and Avignon, France — each claiming to be the rightful heir to St. Peter and excommunicating one another in a tit-for-tat tussle for control of the church.
The tradition of cardinals electing the pope began far earlier, in 1059, under Nicholas II; and the idea of a two-thirds majority vote, still valid today, was introduced by Alexander III in 1179. Pope Paul VI set an age limit of 80 for voting cardinals in 1970.
The role of the papacy and those who have held the position has also changed dramatically over the centuries. Although the head of the modern church holds high moral authority and the church has great wealth, earlier popes had far more worldly wealth, as well as political and military might. This led to the election of men who would be unrecognizable compared to someone like Pope Francis or any of his contemporary predecessors.
The history of ambitious and morally flawed men ascending to the papacy is far more scary and colorful than most can even begin to imagine today, ranging from outright bribery to attain the position (Alexander VI) to the murder of fellow contenders (Sergius III) as a stepping stone to what was unlimited power and a seemingly endless income stream.
https://p.dw.com/p/4u3Fu
Skip next section Invoking the Holy Spirit in ‘difficult and complex’ timesMay 7, 2025
Invoking the Holy Spirit in ‘difficult and complex’ timesAs the cardinals set to elect the next pope gathered in prayer, the dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, directly addressed their responsibility, saying: “We are here to invoke the help of the Holy Spirit, to implore his light and strength so that the pope elected may be he whom the church and humanity need at this difficult and complex turning point in history.”
“This is also a strong call to maintain the unity of the church… a unity that does not mean uniformity but a firm and profound communion in diversity,” he said while emphasizing the “exceptional importance” of the decision at hand.
Re urged cardinals to set aside “every personal decision” and pray for, “a pope who knows how best to awaken the consciences of all in today’s society, characterized by great technological progress but which tends to forget god.”
His words hinted at the great uncertainty gripping the world both geopolitically and technologically, as well as divides within the 2,000 year-old Catholic church itself, which has struggled to come to grips with sexual abuse scandals and dwindling popularity in the face of growing secularism and evangelical Christianity, among others.
https://p.dw.com/p/4u2nx
Skip next section Conclave officially beginsMay 7, 2025
Conclave officially beginsThe College of Cardinals has begun morning prayer at Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome as they prepare for the task of selecting a new leader for the Catholic church. Bells rang and church faithful began gathering at the colonnaded square in front of the vast church in anticipation of the historic event.
Members of the College of Cardinals gathered in prayer to begin their quest to find a new pontiff to lead the Catholic churchImage: Murad Sezer/REUTERS https://p.dw.com/p/4u2A5
Skip next section Most diverse College of Cardinals everMay 7, 2025
Most diverse College of Cardinals everPope Francis left his mark on many aspects of the church. That is perhaps most evident now, as he appointed roughly 80% of those cardinals who will elect his successor. That is unique enough, but more striking is the make-up of those electors.
This College of Cardinals is the most geographically and racially diverse ever assembled. Francis, the first Latin American pontiff, was keenly aware of the need for agency among the broader congregation of the global church.
This conclave is the first in the history of the Catholic Church in which Europeans make up less than half of electors. Though most cardinals gathered are from Italy (17), followed by the US (10) and Brazil (7), Francis appointed 163 new cardinals from more than 70 countries during his time at the Holy See, many who had never been represented in the College of Cardinals.
Though he appointed Latin American and Scandinavian cardinals, the greatest number of appointments came from Africa and Asia.
Pope Francis: What legacy does he leave the Catholic Church?To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
https://p.dw.com/p/4u1rw
Skip next section A secretive, open-ended processMay 7, 2025
A secretive, open-ended processThe selection of a new pope is a process veiled in secrecy. On Monday, officials, conclave staff and the College of Cardinals took an oath of secrecy regarding all matters related to the election.
All who swear the oath are bound to secrecy until death unless otherwise instructed by the new pope or his successors.
The rule, which also bans the use of any audio or video recording devices such as cellphones, derives from the “Universi Dominici Gregis,” or apostolic constitution, as proclaimed by Pope John Paul II on February 22, 1996. Failure to uphold the oath results in excommunication from the church.
The deliberative selection process has no set time limit — meaning that it can be over quickly, as in the case of Francis, who was elected on the first day of voting in 2013, or can drag on for weeks or months.
The record for the longest-ever election process ended with the appointment of Gregory X in 1271 after three years of deliberation. It was Gregory who established the institution of the conclave in the papal bull “Ubi periculum” referring to the first words of the document and meaning “where the great danger lies.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4u1rM
Skip next section What is happening on Wednesday?May 7, 2025
What is happening on Wednesday?The Catholic church’s College of Cardinals has gathered at the Vatican in Rome, Italy, and will begin the process of electing a new pontiff to replace Pope Francis on Wednesday.
Francis, the church’s 266th pontiff, died on Easter Monday (April 21), after leading the church for 12 years.
Voting during the so-called papal conclave takes place in the Sistine Chapel and is conducted by secret ballot.
On Wednesday, 133 cardinals will begin the process with the traditional Holy Mass for the Election of the Pope (Pro Eligendo Romano Pontefice) at 10:00 a.m. local time (0800 GMT) in St.Peter’s Basilica.
At 10:30 a.m., they will gather to pray the Litany of Saints at the Apostolic Palace’s Pauline Chapel before proceeding to the Sistine Chapel.
All voting cardinals, each a potential successor to Francis, swear an oath to fulfill the mission of Peter — the first leader of the Catholic church — known as the “Munus Petrinium,” should they be elected.
The so-called Master of Pontifical Liturgical Ceremonies, then proclaims the famous Latin words “extra omnes” — everyone out — instructing those who are not voting to leave the Sistine Chapel immediately.
The Preacher Emeritus of the Papal Household, Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, will then lead a second meditation attended by the cardinals and the Master of Liturgical Services. The two then leave the chapel, at which point the sequestered cardinal electors begin the quest to select a new leader amongst themselves.
The first ballots will be cast on Wednesday evening and, barring the the unlikely event that the conclave produces a winner on the first ballot, voting will continue four times each day until a new leader has been found. Subsequent votes will be held twice each morning and twice each evening until a new pontiff has been found.
Famously, ballots are burned after each round of voting. The smoke eminating from a special chimney installed in the chapel informs the outside world of the result, with black smoke indicating the failure to find a leader and white smoke letting the world know that a new pope has been found.
The making of a pope: What to expect from the conclaveTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
https://p.dw.com/p/4u1p2
Skip next section WATCH: Filipino LGBTQ community backs local papal hopeful TagleMay 7, 2025
WATCH: Filipino LGBTQ community backs local papal hopeful TagleMany would like the next pope to come from either Asia or Africa. Like Francis, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Asia’s largest Catholic nation, the Philippines, has embraced marginalized communities.
Filipino LGBTQ+ community backs local papal hopeful TagleTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
https://p.dw.com/p/4tzrq
Skip next section Pope’s election turned into political thriller in ‘Conclave’ movieMay 7, 2025
Pope’s election turned into political thriller in ‘Conclave’ movieThe vote to elect the pope in the Vatican has been dramatized in the 2024 film ‘Conclave,’ starring Ralph FiennesImage: Access Entertainment/FilmNation Entertainment/House Productions/Indian Paintbrush/picture allianceThe death of Pope Francis sparked a renewed interest in the “Conclave” movie about the fictional election of a new pope.
The success of the Oscar-winning film — based on a best-selling book — has in turn ramped up interest in the real-life conclave taking place in the Vatican City.
DW takes a look at some of the parallels between Hollywood and the Holy See.
https://p.dw.com/p/4tzqG
Skip next section Pope Francis donates popemobile to Gaza in last wishesMay 7, 2025
Pope Francis donates popemobile to Gaza in last wishesThe popemobile donated to serve the children of Gaza will be outfitted with specialized equipment and will be operated by doctors and medics in the Palestinian territoryImage: Andrew Medichini/REUTERS A major supporter of Palestinians in Gaza, Pope Francis declared in his last wishes that one of his popemobiles should be donated to the embattled strip to be used as a mobile clinic for children.
The so-called popemobiles are the vehicles the leaders of the Catholic Church have used over the years on papal visits to various countries and territories.
Read the full story on popemobile being donated to Gaza.
https://p.dw.com/p/4tzs7
Skip next section Why choice for new pope is hard to predictMay 7, 2025
Why choice for new pope is hard to predictA record number of Cardinals will convene to elect a new PopeImage: Remo Casilli/REUTERSThe 2025 conclave is less predictable than ever after Pope Francis shook up the Catholic Church during his years as pope. What will that mean for the election of his successor?
DW takes a deeper look at why it is so difficult to predict who will be the next pope.
https://p.dw.com/p/4tzkK
Skip next section QUIXPLAINER: How is a new pope chosen?May 7, 2025
QUIXPLAINER: How is a new pope chosen?The conclave process to choose the new pope is starting on Wednesday, but how does it work?
Conclave: How is a new pope chosen?To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
https://p.dw.com/p/4tzrn
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