US Trends

when is the pope election

The 2025 papal election (conclave to choose the next pope after Pope Francis’ death) began on 7 May 2025 in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican.

Key date

  • The cardinals set 7 May 2025 as the official start date of the conclave to elect the new pope.
  • About 135 voting cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel that evening to begin the secret ballots.

How long does it last?

  • There is no fixed end date; voting continues until one candidate receives a two‑thirds majority of the cardinals present.
  • In recent history, conclaves have typically lasted only a few days (the 2005 and 2013 conclaves each took about two days of voting).

Quick forum-style recap

People asking “when is the pope election?” right now are usually referring to the 2025 conclave called after Pope Francis’ death.
The answer: it started on 7 May 2025 , and, like past conclaves, it was expected to wrap up within a few days of voting, though it has no formal time limit.

TL;DR: The conclave to elect the next pope began on 7 May 2025 ; there’s no preset end date, but such elections usually take only a few days of voting.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.