{"id":24361,"date":"2025-05-06T09:18:32","date_gmt":"2025-05-06T16:18:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/?p=24361"},"modified":"2025-05-06T16:52:54","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T23:52:54","slug":"who-will-be-the-next-pope-a-conclave-decides","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/who-will-be-the-next-pope-a-conclave-decides\/","title":{"rendered":"What you need to know about the papal conclave"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                          \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/05\/Conclave_Top-768x432.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/05\/Conclave_Top-1920x1080.jpg 1920w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/05\/Conclave_Top-1280x720.jpg 1280w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/05\/Conclave_Top-768x432.jpg 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  alt=\"A photo of the interior of the Sistine Chapel. A group of men stand wearing ceremonial robes.\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  Conclaves to select the next pope have been taking place since 1294. (Photo: Courtesy of Vatican Media.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=social-impact\">Social Impact<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>What you need to know about the papal conclave<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  As the secret assembly of cardinals meets to choose who leads the Catholic Church following Pope Francis\u2019 death, Richard Wood of USC Dornsife\u2019s Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies provides insight into the mysterious process.\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">Margaret Crable<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">May 6, 2025<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m7.43475275 9.52380952-2.17490843 2.26076008c-1.08745421 1.058837-1.68841575 2.518315-1.68841575 4.0350275 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xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m8.14285714 9.42857143c-.17142857 0-.34285714 0-.51428571.08571428l7.28571427 6.34285719c.3428572.2571428.6857143.2571428.9428572 0l7.2857142-6.34285719c-.0857142-.08571428-.2571428-.08571428-.4285714-.08571428zm-1.28571428 1.11428567v.1714286 8.5714286c0 .6857143.6 1.2857143 1.28571428 1.2857143h14.57142856c.6857143 0 1.2857143-.6 1.2857143-1.2857143v-8.5714286c0-.0857143 0-.0857143 0-.1714286l-7.2 6.3428572c-.7714286.6857143-1.8857143.6857143-2.6571429 0z\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(-6 -9)\"\/><\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Email<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                  <\/span>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n \n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On May 7, the doors of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City will be shut and sealed, marking the start of the \u201cconclave,\u201d the process through which the Catholic Church\u2019s next pope will be selected.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s a decision that even non-Catholics may want to pay attention to, says<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/iacs\/staff\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Richard Wood<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, president of the<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/iacs\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Wood\u2019s research and writing focuses on religion, faith-based organizing and global sociology.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cCatholicism is the single biggest Christian denomination both in the United States and in the world. In the US, it\u2019s 18 to 20% of the population and has real influence on culture and politics. So this matters to everyone,\u201d he says.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wood shares insight into the rather secretive voting process, as well as who might become Pope Francis\u2019 successor.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Who is eligible to become the pope?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Strict rules are few: Any baptized, unmarried Catholic male can become the pope. Since 1378, however, the pope has been selected from the church\u2019s senior clergy, the College of Cardinals. So although the pool of candidates is technically vast, the next pope will almost certainly be a cardinal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These same cardinals also help select the pope. Just over 130 out of the 252 cardinals are currently eligible to vote. These \u201ccardinal electors\u201d must be under the age of 80 when voting and in good-standing with the church to qualify, says Wood.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>What is the conclave?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cConclave\u201d derives from the Latin phrase \u201ccum clave,\u201d meaning \u201cwith key,\u201d and is the name for the official gathering in which cardinal electors vote for the next pope.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To avoid political interference and distractions, it\u2019s a highly secretive affair. The Vatican grounds are swept for listening devices beforehand, cell service is cut off, and even kitchen staff must swear an oath of silence. Cardinals are locked into the Sistine Chapel and adjacent guest house until they make a decision.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once the doors of the chapel are sealed, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">discussion, debate, prayer and good-old-fashioned politicking will take place. Each cardinal strives to discern the right path forward and then attempts to persuade others about their selection. Prayer is central, with cardinals presumably praying for the guidance of the Holy Spirit in their choice.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They vote once on the first day and then take two votes each morning and each afternoon on every subsequent day. If the conclave extends past a third day, the cardinals pause awhile for prayer before resuming.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The process could take anywhere from a few days to weeks or conceivably months (and at least one went on for years), although most suspect this one will be short.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When the final decision is made, a plume of white smoke will arise from a rooftop chimney to signal the start of a new papal era.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Conclaves don\u2019t always go smoothly, Wood notes. In 1378, the conclave resulted in two different candidates declaring themselves the true pope, ruling from France and Italy. It took 40 years for the church to reorganize again under a single pope, back in Rome.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video-embed\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3BkiN5F5iCA?si=MZuzD069RSxagYHn\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>What politics might influence who the cardinals choose?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From a distance, the conclave is often portrayed as a political struggle between so-called progressives, traditionalists and moderates, says Wood, who recently spoke on the panel &#8220;Politics of the Conclave&#8221; hosted by the <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/center-for-political-future\/\">USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future<\/a>. Those who seek to sustain the legacy of Pope Francis, who took a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2025\/04\/22\/world\/catholic-church-pope-francis-legacy-cec\/index.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">progressive approach<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to certain issues, are seen as \u201cprogressives.\u201d Those who seek a Catholicism more centered on past or traditional teachings are seen as \u201cconservatives.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cHowever, those categories miss much of what is going on, projecting American political categories onto something much richer and more complex,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Papal transitions are key inflection points in a tradition that is a source of meaning, direction, and hope for more than a billion people worldwide. The cardinals will be seeking to discern what should come next for that Church, in continuity with the past but also moving the Church into the future with confidence and hope. \u201cWho can best lead that move?\u201d will be the key question on their mind.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How the cardinals are going to decide those questions is very unknown and makes this a much more complicated conclave than folks are giving it credit for,\u201d says Wood.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Less widely discussed issues could also play a key role: \u201cThe church faces some very difficult financial decisions. The cardinal electors are going to be thinking through who has the most promise to help them resolve that,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Could the next pope be an American?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s possible the pope could be an American, or from any nation. There are no geographical restrictions on who can take the seat. Pope Francis was born in Argentina, and his predecessor, Pope Benedict XIV, was born in Germany.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wood feels it\u2019s unlikely that an American will be chosen this time.\u00a0 \u201cI think the American church has so much economic power that the cardinals will be wary of also putting the power of the papacy in American hands,\u201d he says. \u201cBut an exception might be someone who has spent most of his career elsewhere, serving the needs of people around the world as well as the global Church.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Francis himself expanded the church\u2019s emphasis outside of Europe. His appointment marked the first non-European pope in more than 1,200 years and the first from the global south. He elected some 30 cardinals from the Latin American region during his time as pope (but not all are current cardinal-electors)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some of the rumored lead candidates for the role do include non-Europeans, such as Luis Antonio Tagle from the Philippines and Peter Turkson from Ghana.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>What challenges or opportunities might the next pope face?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First, he faces a church changed considerably by Pope Francis\u2019 reforms, says Wood. Francis emphasized \u201csynodality,\u201d a process of dialogue and consultation across all levels of the church. He placed women in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.americamagazine.org\/faith\/2023\/03\/09\/pope-women-vatican-roles-resistance-244872\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">positions of real authority<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the Vatican.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He also conducted a \u201cclean-up\u201d of Vatican finances, a decision which, coupled with his critiques of \u201cunbridled capitalism\u201d and emphasis on the Church \u201cgoing out to the marginalized\u201d may have put off some large donors. The next pope will have to grapple with these new internal realities, either maintaining them or reversing course.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He will face considerable geo-political challenges as he leads as well, says Wood, including rising authoritarianism, climate change, and the problems associated with increased global wealth inequality.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Technology will be another papal puzzle. Social media platforms are now hugely influential, disrupting how people relate to each other and connect with their faith. New artificial intelligence tools promise even more disruption.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All this screen time could be a factor in calling many back to the pews. The once seemingly continuous decrease in religious adherence<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/religion\/2025\/02\/26\/decline-of-christianity-in-the-us-has-slowed-may-have-leveled-off\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">may have stopped,<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> although the data is still unclear.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cPope Francis may have had some impact here. He led with a tone and tenor that changed peoples\u2019 experience of the church,\u201d says Wood. \u201cHe reached out to the marginalized and offered a \u2018fresher face\u2019 of Catholicism that appears to have raised the profile of the church among younger generations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n        \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-related-stories \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-related-stories\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--section-title\">\n\n    \n  <h2>\n          Related Articles\n      <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n                  <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/how-updated-vatican-rules-on-validating-supernatural-appearances-of-mary-will-affect-the-famed-pilgrimage-site-of-medjugorje\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >How updated Vatican rules on validating supernatural appearances of Mary will affect the famed pilgrimage site of Medjugorje<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/the-patriotic-virgin\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >The patriotic Virgin: How Mary\u2019s been marshaled for religious nationalism and military\u00a0campaigns<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/what-is-beatification-in-catholic-church\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >What is beatification? How the Catholic church determines the path to\u00a0sainthood<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An inside look at the &#8220;conclave&#8221;, the secret assembly of cardinals that chooses who will lead the Catholic Church.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":24362,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,24],"tags":[479,118,104],"class_list":["post-24361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dornsife-global","category-social-impact","tag-christianity","tag-institute-for-advanced-catholic-studies","tag-religion"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What you need to know about the papal conclave<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"An inside look at the &quot;conclave&quot;, the secret assembly of cardinals that chooses who will lead the Catholic Church.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/who-will-be-the-next-pope-a-conclave-decides\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Who will be the next pope? 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