The selection of a new pope will be decided during a conclave, a secretive gathering of eligible cardinals inside the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican.
As 120 cardinals prepare to convene in the Sistine Chapel, Italy’s Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Hungary’s Cardinal Péter Erdő emerge as key moderate candidates. The secretive voting process, marked by burned ballots and smoke signals, unfolds amid debates over the Church’s direction on globalization and doctrine.
“This is the most unpredictable conclave in decades,” says historian Massimo Faggioli, highlighting growing influence from African and Asian cardinals.