The Sacred College of Cardinals will assemble in Vatican City from tomorrow (May 7) to elect the successor to Pope Francis, who died on April 21 2025, and the leaders of the 1.4 billion Catholics. In the tradition of the Catholic Church, this position attracts no open campaigns, so no candidates are expected to present or publish their names beforehand. Not only do the cardinals (electors) take an oath of secrecy, but The Vatican drivers, health care workers, kitchen staff and anyone else in contact with the cardinals will swear an oath of secrecy to never divulge any information pertaining to the papal elections. While any baptised Catholic male is canonically eligible to be elected a Pope, in practice, the College of Cardinals typically chooses one of its members. The last time a non-cardinal was elected was in 1378 when Pope Urban VI, then the Archbishop of Acerenza in Italy, was elected. In the Catholic Church's tradition, the election of a new Pope will be similar to the process that saw St Peter become the first Pope through a combination of divine appointment and his role as a key figure in the early Church. The Bible tells us that St Peter denied Jesus three times in his hour of need, yet Jesus still named him the "rock" upon which the Church would be built.
Peter was then given the keys to the kingdom (Matthew 16:19), signifying authority and leadership.
After this, Peter established a Christian community in Rome, which later became the seat of the papacy. St Peter's election as the head of the Church was, therefore, divine, a core tenet of the Catholic Church and its related traditions. These traditions are what should be considered when talking about the forthcoming papal election.
Therefore, any of the cardinals participating in the papal conclave can be elected the next Pope through divine intervention. The Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis (UDG) says the limit of voting cardinals should be 120. So, this conclave will have 13 more participants than the College of Cardinals has announced will be participating next week. However, this is not the first time the number of elector Cardinals has exceeded the 120 limit set by Pope Paul VI on October 1, 1975. Prior to this, in the consistory of 1969, the College of Cardinals reached 134 electors.
