Published April 23, 2025
Ever since 1276, when popes began to be elected by a conclave of rigorously sequestered cardinals, that secretive process has been an irresistible source of fascination. In recent times, reporters with pages to fill, novelists seeking the sensational and moviemakers with eyeballs to attract have often lurched into the implausible, even madcap, in suggesting what conclaves are like.
The conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis as the spiritual head of 1.4 billion Catholics will be unique in its composition and dynamics. Understanding how it works means getting some basics straight, deconstructing certain myths and taking a closer look at the electorate that will gather in the Sistine Chapel. No other deliberative gathering comes close in combining tradition, pageantry and suspense.
Click here to continue reading.
George Weigel, Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, is a Catholic theologian and one of America’s leading public intellectuals. He holds EPPC’s William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies.
