How a new pope is chosen & ritual involved, voting process,
The Catholic Church has had 266 popes with since the Pope Francis who has been at the helm of the Catholic Church for 12 years serving as the current pope.
He took over from Pope Benedict XVI who resigned, marking the first time in 600 years that a pope had resigned.
Who elects the pope
Within a few days of a pope’s death or resignation, all cardinals under the age of 80 years head to Rome for the important exercise.
The College of Cardinals, also known as the conclave meets at the Vatican to select the new head of the Roman Catholic church.
The conclave is made up of cardinals who are bishops and archbishops appointed by the pope to assist in religious issues and providing leadership to dioceses or archdioceses with delegated authority from the pope across the world.
Election characterised by religious symbolism & secrecy
The election process is an intricate one, with religious symbolism and secrecy with all popes since 1379 having been selected from within the conclave.
The day of elections starts off with a special morning mass in which God’s guidance is sought in the upcoming election is held at St. Peter's Basilica.
After the mass, the cardinals head to the Sistine Chapel for the voting process in the afternoon, with the closely-guarded exercise conducted in secrecy.
A thorough screening is done at the chapel to check for any hidden microphones and cameras.
What transpires inside the chapel is only witnessed and known to the cardinals who are not allowed to discuss the proceedings with anyone outside the closely knit conclave.
Paper ballots bearing the words "Eligo in Summun Pontificem" (Latin for "I elect as supreme pontiff") are handed over to the cardinals who are required to write the name of their chosen candidate.
Once done making their choice, the cardinals fold the ballots and make their way to the altar in order of seniority, placing them into a chalice.
Counting of the votes is done and a cardinal is required to receive at least two thirds of the votes to be elected pope.
What happens if election does not produce a pope
If the process does not produce a pope, voting continues in the subsequent days with as many as four rounds of voting (two in the morning and two in the afternoon) up to the fourth day.
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If by the end of the fourth day no pope is elected, the conclave takes the fifth day to hold discussions, pray and take a break.
Voting proceeds on the sixth day and the subsequent ones for a maximum of seven rounds and if by then no pope has been elected, the conclave proceeds for another break before resuming the pattern until the Roman Catholic Church gets a new pope.
All through the voting, the Sistine Chapel is at the heart of it all with eyes glued where a white smoke indicates that a new pope has been chosen while black smoke indicates otherwise.
Source of white smoke
The ballots are burnt at twice a day (once in the morning and once in the afternoon), along with a chemical that determines the colour of the smoke (white or black).
30 to 60 minutes after the sighting of the white smoke, the new elected pope makes his way to the balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square where he is introduced with his chosen papal name.
The new pope speaks briefly and says a prayer, setting the stage for the coronation that happens within a few days.