Rome’s ancient streets buzz with a quiet tension, the kind that hums when history’s about to turn a page. Red-robed cardinals from every corner of the globe have been trickling into the Eternal City, their black cars weaving through cobblestone alleys toward the Vatican. They’re here for one reason: to pick the next pope. The conclave, set to kick off on May 7, 2025, is no small affair—it’s the Catholic Church’s most secretive, sacred ritual, and the world’s watching.
On April 24, the cardinals held their third General Congregation, a sort of pre-game huddle in the Vatican’s Synod Hall. Some 113 of them showed up that day, hashing out logistics and laying the groundwork for what’s coming. They tapped Father Donato Ogliari, a Benedictine abbot from St. Paul Outside the Walls, to deliver the first of two meditations that’ll set the tone before the conclave’s locked doors seal shut. By April 28, the group had swelled to 180, and they nailed down the May 7 start date during their fifth meeting. These gatherings aren’t just about schedules—they’re where cardinals size each other up, swap ideas, and maybe drop hints about who’s got the juice to wear the papal white.
The Vatican’s been tight-lipped, but the process is steeped in centuries-old tradition. The cardinals, all under 80 and eligible to vote, will hole up in the Sistine Chapel, casting ballots beneath Michelangelo’s frescoes until one man snags a two-thirds majority. It’s grueling, cloaked in secrecy, and could last days. Some whispers from the April 29 meetings suggest it might wrap in two or three, but nobody’s betting the farm on a quick pick.
This conclave follows Pope Francis’s reign, a papacy that’s stirred both devotion and debate. His successor will inherit a church grappling with modern challenges—scandals, declining attendance in the West, and growing flocks in Africa and Asia. The cardinals, hailing from places as far-flung as Nigeria, Brazil, and the Philippines, carry those realities with them. Their meetings these past weeks, held in the shadow of St. Peter’s Basilica, have been as much about listening as planning.
Rome’s air feels heavier now, with camera crews staking out Vatican gates and pilgrims craning for a glimpse of scarlet. The cardinals, though, keep their heads down, their briefcases stuffed with the weight of what’s next. Come May 7, they’ll step into the Sistine Chapel, and the world will hold its breath.
The conclave begins May 7, 2025. Approximately 120 cardinals are expected to participate. Voting continues until a candidate secures a two-thirds majority.