This photograph shows cardinals with red zucchetto as skullcaps during the Eight Novemdiale mass, following the funeral of the pope and ahead of the conclave, at the St Peter's Basilica in The Vatican, on May 3, 2025. Andreas Solaro, AFP 

On May 7, Wednesday, the great doors of the Sistine Chapel will be once again, shut and locked. In it, 133 crimson-robed cardinals will take their oath of secrecy and vote in seclusion for the next Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church in a centuries-old ritual called the papal conclave.

This tradition traces its origins from a time of crisis and frustration, over 750 years ago.

The Latin term "conclave" translates to ”with key” - a reference to locking the cardinals until a new pope is chosen. And it all began, in Viterbo, a city in Central Italy, about two hours from Rome by train.

CRISIS IN VITERBO 

In the 13th century, Rome was grappling with intense political turmoil and violence due to the rivalry between the Guelphs and the Ghibelline factions. The Guelphs were known supporters of the Pope while the Ghibellines sided with the Holy Roman Emperor. Deemed unsafe for the Roman Curia, the papacy relocated in 1257 to the nearby city of Viterbo, because of its Guelphs affiliation and fortification - with a defensive wall surrounding the city center.

When Pope Clement IV died in 1268, 19 of 20 cardinals came to Viterbo to elect a new pope. But the cardinals struggled to agree on a successor due to competing allegiances and interferences from political powers. After a year with no decision, the people of Viterbo, who were paying for the cardinals’ expenses, grew extremely frustrated and decided to take matters into their own hands.

Led by the city’s Captain, Raniero Gatti, they locked the cardinals in - first in the papal palace, known locally as Palazzo dei Papi (Palace of the Popes) and then in the hall called Sala de Conclave. 

The Palazzo dei Papi or the Palace of the Popes built between 1255 and 1266 in Viterbo, Italy. ABS-CBN News

When this did not work, they proceeded to more drastic measures and reduced the rations of food and water for the cardinals. But when this too did not work, they ripped off the roof of the papal palace, exposing the cardinals to the elements.

“Napakahalaga nung pagpili sa Santo Papa. Unang-una nakasalalay dito yung ekonomiya ng bawat kaharian…yung ekonomiya. Tinanggalan sila ng budget kaya yung mga tao medyo nainip na rin,” said Fr. Dante Daylusan, parish priest of the Sant’Andrea Apostolo in Viterbo.

The gothic Loggia of the Palazzo dei Papi where Popes impart blessings to the people. ABS-CBN News

The deadlock was finally broken in 1271 after exactly 1,006 days or nearly 3 years, when the Archdeacon of Liege, Teolbaldo Visconti, was finally elected and became Pope Gregory X. 

At this point however, one cardinal has resigned and two have died, which explains why the official parchment chronicling the events during the papal election, only had the wax seals of 16 cardinal-electors.

The original parchment chronicling the conclave of 1268-1271. Only 16 wax seals of cardinals were attached after 2 cardinals died and 1 resigned throughout the longest conclave in Church history. ABS-CBN News

“Napakaimportante na malaman natin kung ano yung pinag-ugatan ng mga ginagawa ng simbahan…na hindi ito sa pamamagitan ng impluwensya, ng pagiging malakas, o kaya’y maraming kasama. Ito ay bunga ng panalangin at taglay din yung biyaya ng Espiritu Santo,” Daylusan said.

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INSTITUTIONALIZING THE PRINICIPLE 

This dramatic episode shocked the Church hierarchy and inspired Gregory X to formalize the process.

In 1274, at the Second Council of Lyon, Pope Gregory X issued the apostolic constitution Ubi periculum - which decreed that cardinals be locked incommunicado, without luxuries or distractions, to facilitate a swift papal election, free from external influences. The first official conclave that followed this principle was in 1276, with the election of Pope Innocent V.

Over the centuries, significant reforms were made on the papal conclave including the use of secret and written ballots by Gregory XV in 1621, the enforced secrecy of the papal election even after it is over by Pius X in 1904, and the requirement that only cardinals under 80 years old may vote decreed by Paul VI in 1970. But despite its numerous evolutions, the principle of seclusion remained the same.

Throughout its long history, papal conclaves have also been conducted in various locations. While most took place in Rome, 15 happened outside of the Eternal City and two were held outside of Italy, according to the Vatican. 

Today, the conclave takes place inside the Sistine Chapel, beneath Michelangelo’s famed fresco of the Last Judgment. Since 1996, the chapel has been officially declared the official location for the election of the pope under the Universi Dominici Gregis, the Apostolic Constitution issued by Pope St. John Paul II.

RITUALS, SMOKE, AND SYMBOLISM 

The modern conclave begins in exactly the same way it began in Viterbo - with the command extra omnes spoken right before the doors are sealed, a Latin phrase that tells everyone to get out and leave the cardinal-electors to their task.

Cardinal-electors then cast a series of votes - an initial round on day 1 and 4 rounds daily, on subsequent days. A two-thirds majority is required to win the election. This means, that if 133 cardinal-electors enter the Sistine Chapel on May 7, the new pope must garner at least 89 votes.

If for some reason, the voting fails to yield results in three days, the cardinals will suspend the process for a maximum of one day to allow a pause for prayer, according to Article 73 of the Universi Dominici Gregis. 

Voting will then resume in the same manner and if after another 7 ballots there is no pope, the cardinals will impose another pause for prayer. The process may be repeated for two more rounds of 7 ballots and if no decision has been reached up to this point, the cardinals may pause again and resume with only the names of the two candidates that received the highest votes.

All 133 cardinals voting in conclave are now in Rome: Vatican

While rooted in protocol, the conclave is also deeply spiritual. Between votes, cardinals pray in the Sistine Chapel and reflect in the nearby Domus Sanctae Marthae, where they are housed in simple rooms. The emphasis is on discernment, instead of politics, though history suggests the two are not always so easily separated.

While the duration of the conclave varies, it is possible to elect a pope in a few hours, like what happened in 1503 with the election of Pope Julius II. Or it can last for a few days, such as the case of Pope Francis in 2013, who was elected in under 2 days, after only five rounds of voting.

All ballots are burned after each round of voting. Throughout the process, all eyes of the outside world will be fixed on the Sistine chapel chimney, which shall emit either fumata nero (black smoke) to signal a failed ballot or fumata blanca (white smoke) which means the Church has a new leader.

“Halimbawa naka two-thirds ka, tatanungin ka muna do you accept?…Kahit may na-elect na, pag hindi tinanggap black smoke pa rin yan….Pag you say yes, okay white smoke,” said Fr. Gregory Gaston, rector of the Pontificio Collegio Filippino in Rome.

The newly elected pope will then pray in the so-called “Room of Tears,” alternatively called the Crying Room, where newly elected popes were said to shed tears due to the overwhelming weight of their new role. In this room, they will also choose a papal vestment and more importantly, a pontifical name.

“Kagaya ng mga pari, mga madre, nagbabago kami ng damit, clerical attire o di kaya yung mga religious may habit sila. In a way, it also signifies a new nature. So from being a cardinal naging pope, so may bagong nature, bagong mission sa buhay, bagong assignment kumbaga galing sa Panginoon,” Gaston said.

“Yung pagpili naman, depende talaga sa Pope. Maybe may favorite siya na patron saint…Si Pope Francis sabi niya, may tumabi sa kanya na cardinal nung na-elect siya. Sabi sa kanya ‘do not forget the poor.’ Even as a Jesuit priest, very exposed siya sa mga poor, tumutulong. So naisip niya one of the saints na talagang isinabuhay niya yung poverty - Saint francis of Assissi,” Gaston added.

Once ready, the new pope then appears for the first time on the central balcony or Loggia of the St. Peter’s Basilica for the official announcement. 

According to the Vatican, the Cardinal Proto-Deacon then announces to the faithful the election and the name of the new Pontiff with the famous line "Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum; Habemus Papam", which means "I announce to you a great joy, we have a pope." 

The new Pope then gives his first apostolic blessing, the Urbi et Orbi (to the city of Rome and to the world).