The death of Pope Francis paves the way for one of the most secretive events in human history, as depicted in the papal thriller "Conclave." ...

The current procedures for papal conclaves, per the encyclopedia, began with reforms made in 1059, and the entire procedure was codified in 1904 by way of a constitution that Pope Pius X issued.

The last conclave to last more than a week was in 1831, when Pope Gregory XVI was elected after 51 days of voting. Here’s a breakdown of how the length of conclaves has changed in recent years.

Today, just over two weeks after Pope Francis’s passing, the 2025 papal conclave began. At 4 a.m. ET, 10 a.m. Vatican Time, the 133 voting cardinals gathered at St. Peter’s Basilica for a Holy ...

The longest papal conclave in the time period analyzed was for Benedict XIV, which lasted six months — 182 days to be exact. But this isn’t the longest conclave in history.

Following the death of Pope Francis, the Catholic Church has chosen a date to elect its new leader, in a process virtually unchanged in 800 years.. The system is known as the ‘Papal Conclave,’ and is ...

The longest conclave in history. In the 13th century, it took almost three years — 1,006 days to be exact — to choose Pope Clement IV's successor, making it the longest conclave in the ...

The papal conclave to elect the next leader of the Catholic Church began Wednesday with a procession into the Sistine Chapel and 133 cardinal electors swearing an oath of secrecy.

The longest conclave in history. In the 13th century, it took almost three years — 1,006 days to be exact — to choose Pope Clement IV's successor, making it the longest conclave in the ...

The quickest conclave observing the 10-day wait rule appears to have been the 1503 election of Pope Julius II, who was elected in just a few hours, according to Vatican historian Ambrogio Piazzoni.

The longest conclave in history. In the 13th century, it took almost three years — 1,006 days to be exact — to choose Pope Clement IV's successor, making it the longest conclave in the ...