Approximately 133 cardinals will gather at the Sistine Chapel in Rome today to elect the new pope.
The cardinals will enter the Sistine Chapel, chanting the meditative “Litany of the Saints” and the Latin hymn “Veni Creator.” They will implore the saints and the Holy Spirit to assist them in selecting a pope.
Upon entering the chapel, they pledge to maintain secrecy about the upcoming proceedings and to refrain from any interference, opposition, or external intervention that could influence their voting.
Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa will deliver a meditation before Archbishop Diego Ravelli, the master of papal liturgical ceremonies, calls out “Extra omnes,” Latin for “all out.”
Cardinals enter Sistine Chapel in the reverse order of their rank within the College of Cardinals: Indian Cardinal George J. Koovakad, who was the cardinal deacon created last, and Italian Cardinal Fabio Baggio are the first cardinals to cross the chapel’s threshold. pic.twitter.com/5oEWs5iwdP
— Catholic News Service Rome (@CatholicNewsSvc) May 7, 2025
Anyone not eligible to vote will then leave the chapel, and the doors will close, allowing the voting process to commence.
Vatican Media video shows the urn into which cardinals will place the ballots they cast for a new pope. pic.twitter.com/3SFIEhCzZc
— Catholic News Service Rome (@CatholicNewsSvc) May 7, 2025
The voting process adheres to a strict procedure dictated by church law.
The Sistine Chapel where cardinals will gather to elect the new pope
Each cardinal writes his choice on a paper inscribed with the words “Eligo in summen pontificem” — “I elect as Supreme Pontiff.”
They approach the altar one by one and state, “I call as my witness, Christ the Lord who will be my judge, that my vote is given to the one who, before God, I believe should be elected.”
The first vote is anticipated by Wednesday evening. If no winner is determined, the Vatican predicts that black smoke will be expected to emanate from the Sistine Chapel chimney around 7 pm.
