A plume of white smoke rising above the Vatican City will mark the beginning of a new era in the Catholic Church as the 267th pope is elected by the College of Cardinals.
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The papal conclave, the group of eligible cardinals electing the next head of the Catholic Church, will remain confined in the city-state until the next pope has been chosen by secret ballot.
"They swear an oath not to tell anyone about the proceedings; they swear an oath to be guided by their conscience and their faith and prayer alone, without taking account of any external influence," Australian Catholic University historian Associate Professor Darius von Guttner said.
"The mystical and political come together in the conclave in the ultimately very human and supposedly divinely-inspired moment," he said.
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Melbourne-based Cardinal Mykola Bychok, who is the Eparch of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church in Australia and Oceania, is expected to join the conclave as the youngest member of the College of Cardinals.
The 45-year-old was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in December 2024.
He stands a chance at being elected the next pope, Associate Professor von Guttner said.
His election as a religious leader from war-torn Ukraine would be "enormously powerful", the historian said.
"The election of a Ukrainian cardinal would send a strong political message that 1.3 billion people on this planet are now led by a person from a very specific geographic location," he said.
What is a conclave?
Eligible cardinals traditionally gather in the Vatican City's Sistine Chapel around 15 or 20 days after the death of a pope to elect the next sovereign of the Holy See.
Rules governing the process have been developed over 2000 years with the most recent additions and amendments made by Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.
A secret ballot is held repeatedly until one cardinal receives two-thirds or more of the vote.
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"This ensures that the person elected will command the support of his colleagues," Associate Professor von Guttner said.
"On the first day, when they are closed in a conclave, they take one vote in the afternoon, and then they have an evening break," he said.
"On the second day, and each following day, they are allowed to vote four times a day."
The historian said that "in theory, any Catholic can be elected pope".
"But the people that make the decision, the actual electors, need to be cardinals, which means holding a high office within the Roman Catholic Church, and they need to be under the age of 80," he said.
Black smoke is released after each unsuccessful vote to indicate to the watching crowds that a new pope has not yet been selected.
White smoke means the Catholic Church has a new pope.
The new pope emerges
A new pope is confirmed after receiving a two-thirds majority vote.
They are asked if they accept the election and, if yes, what their papal name will be.
The Pope chooses the name that corresponds best to the kind of papacy they want their time in office to reflect. But its unlikely that the name Peter will be chosen as a prophecy predicts that Peter will be the final Pope before the end of the earth.
- Associate Professor Darius von Guttner
"That person does not need to do anything else from that point on; they have the full powers of the head of the Catholic Church, the Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, and the head of the state of the Vatican," Associate Professor von Guttner said.
"Whether they are considered to be progressive or conservative, they will need to extend arms to everyone and will have to embrace all faithful."
Anna Houlahan
Anna Houlahan is a journalist for the Courier, dedicated to uncovering the stories that shape the city. Reach out with news or updates to anna.houlahan@austcommunitymedia.com.au
