The conclave to elect the next pope will open on May 7, Vatican officials announced today. The cardinals meeting in plenary assembly (called general congregations) in the Vatican decided the date this morning, April 28.
This important decision was made by 180 of the 252 members of the College of Cardinals. This means that on the morning of May 7, the cardinal electors (cardinals under the age of 80) will process into St. Peter’s Basilica and concelebrate the Mass for the Election of the Roman Pontiff. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, who is 91 and serves as the dean of the College of Cardinals, will be the main celebrant and will deliver the homily.
That afternoon, the cardinal electors dressed in their scarlet robes will process into the Sistine Chapel, where, after listening to a spiritual reflection by Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, O.F.M., Cap., the former preacher of the papal household, they will each cast their first vote to elect the man whom in their conscience they believe to be the most qualified to succeed Pope Francis and become the 266th successor of St. Peter.
The College of Cardinals currently has 252 members from 96 countries, but only 135 of them, from 71 countries, are electors. Only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote in the conclave. To be elected pope, a cardinal will need to receive two-thirds of the 135 votes cast, or a total of 90.
Of the 135 cardinal electors, 53 are from Europe, 23 are from Asia, 23 are from Latin America, 18 are from Africa, 14 are from North America (10 from the United States and four from Canada) and four are from Oceania. There are 17 Italians among the 53 Europeans, but there are also two Italians not included in the European bloc—one in the Holy Land (Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa), the other in Mongolia (Cardinal Giorgio Marengo).
It has been reported, but not yet confirmed by the Vatican, that two European cardinal electors will not participate in the conclave because of poor health.
Since not all the electors have arrived in Rome, and many of them do not know each other well, some had hoped that the conclave would not start until a later date. Today’s decision gives the electors just eight days to discern which of them is the best qualified and most suited to govern the Catholic Church and lead its 1.4 billion members.
In the four general congregations held thus far, more than 100 cardinals—including those over the age of 80—have been discussing practical matters relating to the funeral and the conclave but also the situation in the church and world today.
In today’s briefing for accredited media, Matteo Bruni, the director of the Holy See Press Office, said that in addition to making the key decision regarding the date of the start of the conclave, 20 cardinals spoke in the general congregation on a variety of topics ranging from “themes of particular relevance for the future of the church,” including the church’s “relationship with the contemporary world,” the challenges it faces regarding “evangelization, the relationship with other faiths, and the question of abuse.” They also spoke about “the qualities that the new Pontiff will need to possess in order to respond effectively to these challenges,” but they did not reveal what those qualities might be.
In other words, they sought to develop a profile of the candidate to be pope. That is something very important in seeking to identify the potential candidates, often referred to in the media as “papabile.”
Today’s communique also said that the Benedictine Abbot of the Basilica of St. Paul outside the Walls, Dom Donato Ogliari, will give the first of two meditations to the cardinals, as prescribed by the constitution for the election of the pope. The Vatican also reported that works “will soon begin” on preparing the Sistine Chapel for the conclave.
In accordance with the constitution for the election of the pope, all the cardinals must take an oath of secrecy as soon as they join the general congregations. Last week, they were asked not to give interviews to the media regarding what is being discussed in these plenary meetings or regarding the conclave.
Several cardinals, however, have given interviews before entering the general congregations, and many also have agreed to give interviews about the legacy of Pope Francis and his impact on the church and world, since that matter does not fall under secrecy.
In this context, Myanmar’s Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, S.D.B., 76, who is one of the electors from Asia, shared the following reflection with a few journalists, including me:
A Prophetic Cry: Let the Next Pope Be a Beacon of Peace
Dear Respected Friends in Christ Jesus,
We stand at a crossroads of history.
Across the broken plains of Gaza, the devastated cities of Ukraine, the silent cries of Myanmar, and the scorched fields of Africa, the world groans for peace. This is not a time for hesitation—a true tribute to the late Pope Francis is to pursue peace without pause.
We remember with trembling reverence how Pope Francis, frail yet fierce, knelt before the leaders of South Sudan, pleading for peace with the urgency of a father for his wounded children. That moment became a sermon stronger than any words, a proclamation that true leadership flows from humility, not domination. His voice was not a political calculation—it was a cry from the heart of Christ.
Yet the storms rage fiercer still. Today, six major wars and more than twenty smaller conflicts continue to kill thousands and displace millions. It is a valley of tears across many nations. No one can escape the machinery of hatred.
At this very hour, over 13,000 nuclear weapons remain armed and ready enough to destroy human civilization several times over. A single moment of madness, a single spark of hatred, could unleash a nuclear holocaust, turning cities to ash, rivers to poison, and the sky to darkness.
Meanwhile, global warming devastates our common home. Crops wither, rivers dry up, glaciers melt, and the earth itself groans in anguish. Scientists warn that tomorrow’s wars may not be fought over oil, but over water—the very blood of life itself.
We need a voice! A voice that evangelizes the hardened hearts of those who threaten the very survival of humanity and nature. A voice that calls humanity back from the edge of destruction!
Indeed, the next Pope will nurture the Catholic faith and lead the Church into a deeper encounter with Jesus and His Trinitarian mission of love on earth. But the Incarnation cries out today: we must renew and strengthen the instruments of peace—the United Nations, international courts, and humanitarian accords. Yet these structures are lifeless without the breath of moral authority.
Religions must unite in a common cause to save humanity. The world urgently needs a new breath of hope—a synodal journey that chooses life over death, hope over despair.
The next Pope must be that breath!
