Cardinals of the Catholic Church began the process of electing a new pope on Wednesday but failed in their first attempt. Black smoke rising from the Vatican indicated the unsuccessful selection of a new leader for the Catholic Church in this round. Out of more than 250 existing cardinals, only 133 under the age of 80 are eligible to vote.
This election has been described as one of the most complex and unpredictable elections of the world’s Catholic leader due to deep differences among voting cardinals. The voting will continue until one candidate secures at least 89 votes (two-thirds plus one). The voting process is conducted with utmost confidentiality, and after each round, the ballots are burned in a special furnace.
Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State; Luis Tagle from the Philippines; Robert Sarah from Guinea; and Peter Erdo from Hungary are among the prominent figures to succeed Pope Francis. The Argentine Pope, who was recovering from pneumonia, passed away on Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88 due to a stroke.
Cardinals Fail in First Attempt to Elect New Pope
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