With the passing of Pope Francis, the Catholic Church enters one of its most critical—and complicated—moments: the conclave. This solemn gathering of cardinals will decide the future of the Vatican, but as history shows, choosing a new pope isn’t always quick or peaceful. In fact, the world once waited over 1,000 days for white smoke to rise.
The Election of a New Pope: How the Conclave Works
To recap, the conclave is the official assembly where cardinals from around the world gather in the Vatican to elect the next pope. The process doesn’t start immediately—there’s a mandatory waiting period of 15 to 20 days after the pope’s death. As of now, there are 240 cardinals in the College, 137 of whom are eligible voters. In most cases, the election is resolved quickly. Pope Francis, for example, was elected in under 48 hours.
The Longest Papal Conclave in History
But things haven’t always gone so smoothly. After Pope Clement IV died in 1268, the Church went without a leader for over three years. The conclave began on November 29 in the city of Viterbo, where the pope and his entourage had been staying to avoid political tensions in Rome. What started as a routine election soon spiraled into a political showdown.
The cardinals quickly split into two camps: the Carolingians, who wanted a French pope, and the Ghibellines, who backed a candidate from the Holy Roman Empire. Each side blocked the other’s votes, and since a two-thirds majority was required, they hit a deadlock. Soon, two more factions emerged—the Orsini (siding with the French) and the Annibaldi (backing the Ghibellines)—creating even more chaos. Weeks turned into months. Then years.
As the deadlock dragged on, the people of Viterbo had had enough. With no religious leadership and the cardinals seemingly living in luxury—eating, drinking, and refusing to work—the city revolted. The local government reduced their food and water supplies. When that didn’t work, they began removing the roof tiles of the papal palace so that rain and cold could creep in. Eventually, the cardinals were literally locked inside, forcing them to make a decision.
The Birth of the Modern Conclave and What’s at Stake in 2025
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Desperate, ill, and exhausted, the cardinals finally agreed on a compromise: they chose Teobaldo Visconti, who became Pope Gregory X in 1271. One of his first acts? Moving the curia back to Rome and implementing new rules: future conclaves would happen cum clave—locked in—giving rise to the term conclave as we know it.
As the world prepares for the next papal election in 2025, we can only hope history doesn’t repeat itself. But with Vatican politics always simmering beneath the surface, anything is possible.
This article was originally written in Spanish by Fernando Eslava in Cultura Colectiva.
