The term “Conclave” comes from two Latin words: cum (with) and clavis (key). In Church terminology, it designates both the secluded place where the papal election is held, and the body of Cardinals convened there to elect the new Pope.
Formally established in 1274 by Pope Gregory X
The upcoming Conclave, starting on May 7 to elect the 267th Pope, will be the 76th in the form we know today, which was established by Pope Gregory X in 1274, and the 26th held under the gaze of Michelangelo’s Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel.
Over the centuries, various reforms gradually shaped the procedure for the election of the Pope. The first significant changes were introduced by Pope Nicholas II in 1059 with the Bull In nomine Domini, which specified that only cardinals could elect the Roman Pontiff.
Before that, the Successor of Peter was chosen with the participation of the ecclesial community: clergy assessed candidates proposed by the faithful, and the bishops chose the Pope. External influences and interferences from political powers, of course, played a major role in the election, often hindering the electoral process.
In 1179, Pope Alexander III promulgated the Constitution Licet de vitanda, introducing the requirement of a two-thirds majority — a key element that remains today.
The 1268-1271 election in Viterbo, the longest in Church history
Then came the institution of the Conclave. This setting was formalized in 1274 by Pope Gregory X in the Constitution Ubi periculum which established that in future elections, cardinals should be locked away in seclusion “cum clave,” from both inside and outside, so they could focus on their task of electing the next head of the Catholic Church “without any political or personal interference.”
This followed his own election in the city of Viterbo in 1271, which lasted nearly three years (1268-1271), due to external interference, and is known to be the longest in history. The story has it that in 1268, 18 cardinals gathered in the papal palace of Viterbo to elect the new Pope, but couldn’t decide. Out of frustration, the people of Viterbo decided to lock them in the palace and walled up the doors. Eventually, Teobaldo Visconti, then Archdeacon of Liege, who was not a cardinal, nor even a priest, was elected as Pope Gregory X.
The first Conclave in 1276
Following Ubi periculum, the first official Conclave was held in Arezzo, Tuscany, in 1276 with the election of Innocent V. In 1621, Pope Gregory XV introduced the requirement for secret and written ballots. In 1904, Pius X abolished any claimed right of exclusion and enforced secrecy about all that happens in the Conclave, even after its conclusion.
Changes from the 20th century to today
After World War II, in 1945, Pope Pius XII issued the Apostolic Constitution Vacantis Apostolicae Sedis, introducing new rules. From the moment the Holy See is vacant, all cardinals—including the Secretary of State and Congregation Prefects—cease their duties, except for the Camerlengo, the Penitentiary, and the Vicar of Rome. Later, in the Motu proprio Ingravescentem Aetatem, Pope St. Paul VI decreed that only Cardinals under 80 years old could vote.
Not all Conclaves have been held in the Sistine Chapel
The first Conclave to be held at the Sistine Chapel was in 1492. Although every Conclave has been held at the Sistine Chapel since 1878, over the centuries, elections had taken place in various locations before a fixed setting was decided upon. Most were still held within Rome, but 15 have previously taken place outside the Eternal City.
Some Conclaves have even been conducted outside of Italy. The Conclave of 1314-16 was held in France, and a century later, the Conclave of 1415-17 was held in Germany.
In his Apostolic Constitution “Universi Dominici Gregis”, Pope St. John Paul II confirmed the most famous chapel in the world, called the “Via Pulchritudinis” (Way of Beauty), as the official location for the election of the new Pope.
The duration of Conclaves
The duration of Conclaves varies. As mentioned above, the longest election in history was that of Gregory X, which took two years and two months. On the opposite end of the spectrum is the one in 1503, which lasted only a few hours and led to the election of Pope Julius II.
The duration of the Conclave for late Pope Francis was relatively short: he was elected on March 13, 2013, after just five rounds in under two days.
Normally, the newly elected Pope appears on the balcony to greet the crowd in St. Peter’s Square within an hour from the smoke billowing from the chimney over the Sistine Chapel.
Whilst every Pope over the last few centuries has been a cardinal, this is not a requirement. This is extremely common, however, and the last Pope to be appointed who was not previously a cardinal was Urban VI in 1378.
*Amedeo Lomonaco contributed to this article.
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