The process of electing a new pope has begun as more than 100 Catholic cardinals gather in the Sistine Chapel, the site of the conclave, or the election that selects a new pope.
Officially known as the papal conclave, the election began on Wednesday, May 7, and is conducted by the College of the Cardinals, bishops and Vatican officials who were selected by the late Pope Francis.
The last conclave was held in March 2013, following Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation, the first of its kind in more than 600 years, and resulted in the election of Cardinal Bergoglio, who became Pope Francis.
How long does it take to elect a new pope?
There is no set timeline for how long a conclave can take.
Due to the divide between the more progressive and conservative patrons within the Catholic Church, this conclave may take longer than usual, Matthew Gabriele, a medieval studies professor at Virginia Tech, previously told USA TODAY.
How long did it take to elect Pope Francis?
Pope Francis was elected just one day after the conclave that elected him began in 2013, while the longest conclave in history took nearly three years with the election of Pope Gregory X in 1271.
How many cardinals are there?
133 cardinals from around the world have gathered for a papal conclave in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel.
Watch papal conclave 2025 live
USA TODAY will stream coverage of the conclave on its YouTube channel, available here or at the embed below.
USA Today contributed to this article.
Natassia Paloma may be reached at npaloma@gannett.com, @NatassiaPaloma on Twitter; natassia_paloma on Instagram, and Natassia Paloma Thompson on Facebook.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Papal conclave livestream: Watch live as process begins to elect new pope
Reporting by Natassia Paloma, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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