EXPERT ADVISORY – April 28, 2025 – R0053
Following the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday, Roman Catholic cardinals will soon meet to begin the process of electing his successor.
The papal conclave, which has traditionally drawn the attention of billions of Catholics and others around the globe, has changed through time, though some traditions remain, says Brock University Associate Professor of History Colin Rose.
“The conclave itself is around 1,000 years old dating back to the 11th century,” Rose says. “Following the formation of the College of Cardinals around this same time, the group took on the responsibility of selecting a pope from its membership.”
About 400 years ago, the conclave adopted its current form, in which the College of Cardinals sequesters themselves within the Sistine Chapel and holds repeated votes until a single candidate achieves a two-thirds majority.
Traditionally, there is a waiting period between the death of the pope and beginning of the conclave lasting an average of 15 to 20 days. That window gave cardinals time to get to Rome, before the days of convenient air travel.
Now, Rose says, that waiting period “allows cardinals to gather and, in many cases, meet one another for the first time as Vatican carpenters construct the small apartments, or ‘cells’, where the cardinals will reside during the conclave.”
Electing a new pope can be a short or drawn-out process, with potential for repeated failed votes (indicated by black smoke) before the world sees the white smoke rise, signalling that a new pope has been chosen.
The period after the death of the pope and before the acclamation of his successor is known as the ‘Sede Vacante’, a Latin term meaning ‘Vacant See.’
Rose explores how the conclave and Sede Vacante reflects on — and interrupts — papal political power in his research and courses on early modern Europe.
“On one hand, the papacy is a deeply religious position as head of the Catholic church, on the other, the pope is also a secular ruler, so election of a pope is not a strictly religious affair,” he says.
Prior to the arrival of Napoleon in Europe and the unification of Italy in the 19th century, however, Rome was the capital of a large Papal State —under sovereign rule of the pope — that stretched northward to Bologna, covering much of the Italian peninsula.
Thus, Rose says, the papal conclave was both a deeply spiritual and a significantly political ritual, exemplifying much about the papacy’s long and fascinating history.
In other words: the conclave was high stakes.
“Political rivalries present; alliances were made and betrayed, wheeling and dealing and negotiation took place, and cajoling and threatening,” Rose says.
Sede Vacante was a chaotic time for historic Rome when rioting occurred, including ‘spolia,’ where people looted and pillaged the cardinals’ quarters before turning their attention to the Pope’s apartment in hopes of securing a religious relic for themselves.
Rose says popes are generally in the position for seven to 10 years, so, historically, Romans would experience this cycle about once every decade.
“Old debts would be settled with violence; criminal records might be burned during the breakdown of authority,” he says. “But when the new pope was selected, everything went back to normal.”In modern times, political ambition has been greatly stripped from the process, so the timeline is shorter, Rose says.
While riots no longer happen in Rome, the ritual of electing a new pope retains an important place in the lives of Romans and Catholics worldwide, he adds, with certain traditions — including betting on who the next pope will be — standing the test of time.
Rose says the spirit of the related festivities also carries on, with massive crowds expected to gather in St. Peter’s Square in the coming days.
“While there is deep mourning, there is also renewal,” he says. “It is a celebration of what it means to be a citizen of Rome and a global citizen of the Catholic Church. It’s part of their identity and how they can take part in the election of their new pope.”
Brock University Associate Professor of History Colin Rose is available for media interviews on this topic.
For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:
*Sarah Ackles, Communications Specialist, Brock University [email protected] or 289-241-5483
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