Although the deliberations that result in the selection of a new pope are shrouded in secrecy, the actual process is quite well known.
Officially the only requirements that one needs to fulfil in order to be pope are that one is a male member of the Roman Catholic Church.
While this would open the office to a startlingly large number of candidates, practically speaking, the new pope is nearly always a serving cardinal.
Who will choose the next pope?
It is the College of Cardinals that is the key body in determining who the next pope will be. The College presently contains 252 cardinals, of whom 135 are able to vote in the conclave that will choose the next pope.
Only cardinals who are under the age of 80 are permitted to vote in the election. At the 2013 conclave that selected Pope Francis two cardinals who would otherwise be eligible did not take part, one due to health reasons and the other due to his admission of sexual misconduct.
When will the election be and how long will it take?
The conclave to elect the pope usually takes place 15 to 20 days after the death of Pope Francis and the process will likely go on for a few days. There have been instances in which it took years for a new pope to be selected.
How does the vote work?
All deliberations are conducted in complete secrecy, with cardinals effectively cut off from the outside world.
During votes, cardinals will write the name of their preferred candidate on a piece of paper and place it in a special ballot box. If one candidate receives two-thirds of the votes, they will be elected pope.
Otherwise another round of voting will take place. Unlike secular voting systems there is no immediate “run-off” process where lower ranked candidates are officially eliminated. Effectively they keep voting until someone wins.
What is the business with the smoke?
After an unsuccessful election the ballots will be burned and black smoke released, signalling to the outside world that a pope has not yet been selected.
Once a pope has been elected, the ballots are burned and white smoke is released, signifying the beginning of a new papal reign.
