Conclave ‘very, very different’ from US elections; ‘anything could happen’, according to expert

As the satellite pays their last respects to Pope Francis, men and women everywhere, including a caller procreation of faithful, hold successful anticipation for the College of Cardinals to convene and prime a caller pope.

A conclave, organized by the camerlengo, presently Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, begins 15 to 20 days aft the pope’s death.

"Anything could happen," Tim Gabrielli, subordinate prof and Gudorf seat successful Catholic intelligence traditions astatine the University of Dayton successful Ohio, told Fox News Digital.

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Pope Francis was elected the 266th pope successful 2013. (Gregorio Borgia/AP)

Pope Francis, the 266th pontiff, calved Jorge Mario Bergoglio, died connected April 21, 2025, aft 12 years arsenic the Bishop of Rome.

"We truly don’t person overmuch of an idea," helium said of Pope Francis’ successor. "I deliberation anybody who says different is possibly posturing."

Among the religion leaders floated arsenic the candidates-in-waiting are Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo and American Cardinal Raymond Burke.

"It's adjuvant to retrieve that the cardinal electors are going to be, conclave means with key, locked distant … distant from media and influences," Gabrielli said.

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The College of Cardinals volition convene successful bid to ballot and prime the adjacent person of the Catholic Church. ((Photo by Riccardo De Luca/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images))

"We've got a radical of radical who play important roles successful the religion passim the world, and they're coming together, spending clip together, and this radical of cardinals hasn't spent a batch of clip together," Gabrielli added.

Pope Francis created implicit 100 cardinals, including those from processing countries.

"Christ is to beryllium recovered astatine the margins," Gabrielli said.

During a conclave, cardinals ballot done a concealed ballot. A two-thirds bulk is required for the election. After each circular of submissions, ballots are work aloud and past burned. The ashes are utilized to notify audiences astir the satellite and onlookers successful St. Peter’s Square of the election’s status.

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The College of Cardinals conscionable astatine the Sistine Chapel successful Rome to elite the adjacent pope. (Arturo Mari, Vatican Pool)

Black fume from the Sistine Chapel astatine the Vatican indicates a caller circular of voting is acceptable to happen. White fume signals a caller person of the Roman Catholic Church is selected.

The concealed process, which takes arsenic agelong arsenic needed, is vastly antithetic from U.S. presidential, section and adjacent mayoral elections. However, the unsocial predetermination process doesn’t forestall radical from drafting comparisons betwixt the astir "papabile" cardinals and U.S. governmental parties–Republican and Democrat.

"It's precise tempting to representation folks into our governmental categories," Gabrielli said. "Those conscionable don't enactment precise good successful the Church. There are antithetic emphases and priorities."

"This is simply a very, precise antithetic process," helium added.

The College of Cardinals elected Pope Francis successful 2013 erstwhile helium was 76 years old. At the time, the erstwhile pontiff was not considered 1 of the apical cardinal contenders.

Some Catholics regarded the erstwhile person of the Church arsenic "non-traditional" and often criticized his sometimes progressive attack to satellite leadership.

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Pope Francis was 76 years aged erstwhile helium was elected. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

During his 12-year papacy, Pope Francis’ took affinity to the enlargement of equality successful the Catholic Church, which included pathways for divorced Catholics and blessings for same-sex couples.

"My work is that helium had definite peculiar processes and structures that helium was precise funny successful mounting into motion, similar the enactment connected synodality much recently," Gabrielli said.

Pope Francis besides drove speech astir climate change. His accent connected biology extortion followed suit with Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II earlier him.

"He was benignant of picking up that momentum," Gabrielli said. "There's truly a thread you spot happening there."

Pope Francis died connected April 21, 2025. (Andrew Medichini/AP)

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Presently, determination are 252 surviving cardinals. However, lone apical members of the religion nether the property of 80 are eligible to vote. A maximum of 120 cardinal electors marque up the voting college.

The bounds was acceptable by Pope John Paul VI successful 1975.

"I deliberation it's imaginable that idiosyncratic could beryllium seen arsenic adjacent to Pope Francis," Gabrielli said of the adjacent pope. "I deliberation it's imaginable for idiosyncratic to beryllium elected who has a antithetic acceptable of priorities than Pope Francis."