Choosing a Pope: What REALLY Happens During a Conclave | What Catholics Believe
What Catholics Believe
•
10-Dec-2025
Join Dr. Scott Hefelfinger in What Catholics Believe as he answers some of the most asked questions about how Catholics choose a new pope. What is a papal conclave? How does the voting process work? Can someone who isn’t a cardinal become pope? Why are cardinals locked in the Sistine Chapel? Learn the fascinating traditions, rules, and the role of the Holy Spirit in the election of a pope.
Topics covered in this episode:
00:00 – Introduction
00:21 – What is a papal conclave?
00:38 – What is a cardinal?
01:04 – How is a new pope chosen?
02:25 – How the voting process works
03:17 – What happens if no candidate receives enough votes?
04:29 – Can a non-cardinal be elected pope?
04:55 – Why are cardinals locked inside the Sistine Chapel?
05:49 – Why only cardinals elect the pope
06:58 – How the world is informed during a conclave
07:28 – Meaning behind the black and white smoke signals
08:26 – The role of the Holy Spirit in electing a pope
09:11 – The legitimacy and authority of a new pope
09:38 – What happens after a new pope is chosen
10:27 – How Catholics can participate during a conclave
▶ Watch Eternal Rest on Formed: https://app.formed.org/app/collections/770628
▶ The Pope | What Catholics Believe: https://watch.formed.org/videos/the-pope-what-catholics-believe
▶ Pray for the conclave: https://app.formed.org/app/collections/1136410
▶ Learn more about the Pope on Formed: https://app.formed.org/app/collections/867032
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