Cardinals from around the world line up in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel March 12, 2013, to take their oaths at the beginning of the conclave that would elect Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina, as Pope Francis, who died April 21, 2025. The Pontifical Missions Societies USA is inviting faithful to pray for a specific cardinal elector who will vote for the next pope in the conclave that begins in Rome May 7. (CNS photo/Vatican Media) Growing public pressure alone has ensured that the conclave today is usually a matter of a few days. One papal election in history once lasted over 1,000 days. The inhabitants of Viterbo found this too colourful. People love the conclave – and the media love it even more. The highest level of secrecy, at the…
