LONDON and ROME — Di process wey go elect di next pope go begin on May 7, 2025. Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako from Baghdad talk to journalists for Vatican on Tuesday, say e dey expect a “short conclave” wey fit pick di successor in as little as two days. “E go be short conclave, two or three days,” Sako tok, as dem quote am from Italy’s ANSA news agency, before di general assembly wey happen today.
Di conclave wey go choose di Catholic Church’s 267th leader go start for Wednesday, May 7, as di Vatican don announce on Monday. Di cardinals go gather for di Vatican to start di process to elect di new pope. Di last two conclaves — wey elect Pope Benedict in 2005 and Francis in 2013 — last for just two days each. It take three days to elect Pope John Paul II for 1978.
Pope Francis, wey die last Monday at di age of 88, been buried on Saturday for Basilica of St. Mary Major for Rome. Kevin Shalvey from ABC News contribute to dis report.
Di College of Cardinals wey go meet for di conclave go be sharply different from di body wey choose Francis in 2013. Experts don talk say dis fit make am harder to predict wetin di conclave go do. Only cardinals wey dey below 80 years fit vote for di conclave. At di time of Francis’ death, 252 cardinals dey around; 135 of dem na electors.
Francis appoint 108 out of di 135 cardinal electors. Church rules state say conclaves suppose start immediately after a pope die or resign. Cardinals fit start di proceedings before 15 days, but only if all electors dey present. Under Francis, di College of Cardinals don become more global, and dis go be di “least European conclave for history,” as reported by Gregg Gassman, wey dey work as librarian and dey host di Popeular History podcast.
Francis don include cardinals from countries like Haiti, Laos, and Rwanda during im papacy. Asia’s representation in di College of Cardinals don increase to 17%, with 23 electors — second only to Europe. Di Vatican tok say na 70 countries dey represent via di elector cardinals, including 10 from di U.S. Di 2013 conclave wey elect Francis get cardinals from 48 countries, but di new conclave go reflect wetin dey happen for di last century.
Experts like Massimo Faggioli, a church historian and professor at Villanova University, don talk say 2025 conclave go be a complex gathering. “Dis time, e more complicated, and di international situation dey affect different cardinals in different ways,” Faggioli tok.
Di current dean of di College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, wey dey 91, go oversee di conclave. Although he go celebrate di Mass, he no go join di conclave due to im age. Di most senior elector, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, wey be Francis’ secretary of state, go oversee di gathering.
As wetin dem dey expect, di conclave go hold first time for di Sistine Chapel after di funeral rites. Di 2025 election go be di largest conclave in modern Church history because 135 cardinals go fit vote, and almost all of dem dey expected to attend.
As di cardinals dey gather for di Vatican, di tension dey high to choose di next pope, which many see as a significant moment for di faith. Kurt Martens, an ordinary professor of canon law at di Catholic University of America, share say di cardinals no dey know each other well since dem dey focused on their local churches all over di world. Dis, he talk, fit cause factions to split di conclave.
“Those wey go enter di conclave no fit ignore di changing features of global Catholicism, wey dey less European, less white, and more from di Global South,” Faggioli conclude.
