Explore the Vatican Conclave and the Papal election: from the Sede Vacante to the white smoke.

Christianity, with over two billion adherents scattered across every corner of the globe, stands not only as one of the most widespread religions but also as a cultural and social force of immeasurable reach. From Western metropolises to remote African villages, from the South American pampas to Asian islands, its influence permeates societies, traditions, and consciences. At the apex of this planetary community, a figure stands unique: the Pope.

The Pope is not merely a spiritual guide for billions of believers. He is also, simultaneously, the Head of State of Vatican City, a micro-state nestled in the heart of Rome, yet projected onto the world geopolitical stage. A dual role, inextricably intertwining soul and body, spirit and politics. The Vatican, despite its reduced territorial extension, wields a weight that extends far beyond its borders. Vatican finances, often shrouded in an aura of mystery, manage vast assets, holdings in banks and corporations, real estate investments worldwide. Vatican diplomacy weaves intricate webs of international relations, forging bilateral agreements with sovereign states, intervening in international forums, mediating in conflicts, influencing global political agendas on crucial issues such as peace, human rights, social justice.

The election of the Pope, in this context, reveals itself to be an event transcending the purely religious sphere. It is not only the choice of Peter’s successor, the Vicar of Christ, the spiritual guide of the Catholic Church. It is also, and perhaps above all, the designation of a political leader of global stature, capable of influencing geopolitical balances, cultural orientations, economic dynamics on a planetary scale. An election that, behind the millennial rituals and solemn liturgies, conceals complex mechanisms and interests that go well beyond faith.

The Conclave: Theater and Mechanisms of the Papal Election – A Millennial Rite Between Tradition and Strategy

When the Pontiff in office dies, or, as has happened more rarely in recent history, decides to renounce the Petrine ministry, a crucial period opens for the Catholic Church: the Sede Vacante. An interregnum in which the temporal and spiritual power of the Church is temporarily exercised by the College of Cardinals, awaiting the designation of the new successor of Peter. During the Sede Vacante, the College of Cardinals assumes the interim leadership of the Church, with powers, however, limited to ordinary administration and the preparation of the Conclave, the electoral assembly called to choose the new Pope.

The beating heart of the papal election process is the Conclave, from the Latin cum clave, “with a key”. A term that immediately evokes the image of cardinals retreating into seclusion, isolated from the outside world, locked within the Sistine Chapel, the majestic Michelangelo’s theater that becomes, for a few days, the geopolitical center of the planet. Entry into the Conclave is a solemn rite, punctuated by precise liturgies and ironclad rules. The extra omnespronounced by the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations (“everybody out!”) marks the official seclusion: the doors of the Sistine close, sealing the cardinal electors in almost total isolation from the outside world. No contact with the outside, no telephones, no television, no internet. The aim is to guarantee the maximum freedom of conscience and vote to the electors, far from external pressures, media influences, interferences from secular powers.

But “who” exactly elects the Pope? The undisputed protagonist of the Conclave is the College of Cardinals, the assembly of cardinals of the Catholic Church. Currently, the College of Cardinals numbers about two hundred members, coming from every part of the world, an expression of the universality of the Church. Only cardinals under eighty years of age on the day the Sede Vacante begins have the right to vote in the Conclave. The composition of the College of Cardinals is the result of the nominations of previous Popes, and therefore reflects the orientations and sensibilities of the different historical phases of the Church. Within the Conclave, complex dynamics unfold, linked to the age of the cardinals, their geographical origin, the different currents of theological and pastoral thought, personal affinities and rivalries. A veritable “ecclesiastical microcosm” called to express a choice of universal scope.

The “how” of voting in the Conclave is regulated by an ancient and meticulous liturgy, the “scrutiny”. Voting takes place in secret, with anonymous ballots and complex procedures to guarantee the freedom and validity of the vote. Each ballot is punctuated by precise phases: the preparation and distribution of the ballots, the secret compilation by each cardinal elector, the solemn act of depositing the ballot in the urn before the altar of the Sistine Chapel, the counting and tallying of the votes by the cardinal scrutineers, the verification of the results by the revisers, the destruction of the ballots and the annexed liturgical rites. To be elected Pope, it is necessary to obtain a qualified majority of two-thirds of the votes of the cardinals present and voting. If no candidate reaches the required quorum, the vote is repeated, up to a maximum of several rounds per day. A complex and repetitive rite, which continues until the Holy Spirit (or cardinal strategies?) suggests the name of the new Pontiff.

The “Smoke” is perhaps the most iconic and popular element of the Conclave, the binary language that communicates to the world the outcome of the vote. Black smoke, if the election has not taken place. White smoke, if the Pope has been elected (Habemus Papam!). The tradition of the smoke dates back centuries, and arises from the need to visibly communicate to the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square the outcome (then uncertain and potentially prolonged) of the voting in the Conclave. Originally, smoke was simply produced by burning the ballots and adding dry straw for white smoke and black pitch for black smoke. Today, colored smoke bombs are also used to make the signal clearer and more unambiguous. Each smoke signal becomes a global media event, followed live on television and online by millions of people waiting to know the name of the new Pontiff.

And when finally the smoke is white, and the bells of St. Peter’s peal loudly, the Cardinal Protodeacon appears from the central balcony of the Vatican Basilica to pronounce the awaited announcement: “Habemus Papam! Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: Habemus Papam! Eminentissimum ac reverendissimum Dominum, Dominum [baptismal name], Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae Cardinalem [surname], qui sibi nomen imposuit [pontifical name]” (“I announce to you with great joy: We have a Pope! The Most Eminent and Reverend Lord, Lord [baptismal name], Cardinal of Holy Roman Church [surname], who has taken for himself the name of [pontifical name]”). An announcement that marks the end of the Sede Vacante and the beginning of a new pontificate, ¹ with a new leader at the helm of the Catholic Church and, in many ways, of the conscience of billions of people around the world.   

“Papal Power”: Beyond the Tiara and the Fisherman’s Ring – Spiritual, Political, and Economic Influence of a Global Leader

But is the Pope’s power limited to the spiritual sphere? Certainly, his primary authority derives from religious teaching, from leading a community of faith immense and widespread across every continent. The Pope is the depositary of Catholic doctrine, the moral point of reference for billions of believers, but also for many non-believers who recognize in his voice a call to universal values of peace, justice, and solidarity. His role in interreligious dialogue, in promoting peace among peoples, in denouncing inequalities and injustices, makes him a spiritual leader of global stature, listened to and revered far beyond the borders of the Catholic Church.

Yet, the Pope’s power is not exhausted in the spiritual dimension. The Pontiff is also a head of state, recognized by international law and a privileged interlocutor of political leaders around the world. Vatican diplomacy is an ancient and active reality, expressed in bilateral agreements with numerous states, in its presence in international organizations such as the UN, in its role of mediation in complex geopolitical scenarios. The Pope’s voice carries significant weight on world political agendas, especially on ethically sensitive issues such as the defense of human rights, the promotion of peace, the fight against poverty, the protection of the environment. Meetings with heads of state, appeals to governments, prophetic denunciations of wars and injustices: the Pope’s political action is a concrete and measurable reality, directly influencing world dynamics.

And then there is the economic-financial power of the Vatican, a topic often taboo, shrouded in secrecy and opacity, but of undoubted relevance. The Holy See manages vast assets, consisting of real estate properties all over the world, equity holdings in banks and financial companies, gold reserves, works of art of inestimable value. The IOR, the Institute for Religious Works, the Vatican bank, has often been at the center of scandals and investigations for opacity and money laundering. Alongside these shadows, there is also the reality of the charitable activities of the Church, which manages billions of euros destined for charitable works, missions, humanitarian aid in every part of the world, with a significant economic and social impact. A complex and multifaceted financial “empire,” difficult to quantify precisely, but which undoubtedly contributes to conferring on the Pope a non-negligible “earthly” power.

But what “earthly” interests lie behind the succession of Peter? Who has an interest in influencing the papal election? And what “games” are played inside and outside the Conclave? Behind the spiritual and ritual facade, the election of the Pope is also an intrinsically “political” event, in the highest and deepest sense of the term. Power dynamics within the Church, contrasts between different currents, strategies and alliances between cardinals, influences and pressures from external powers (states, lobbies, economic-financial interest groups): the papal election is not an aseptic and purely spiritual event, but a human process, all too human, in which faith, power, and secular interests intertwine. Understanding these dynamics, without succumbing to facile conspiracy theories, but with a critical and analytical eye, is fundamental to grasping the real significance of an election that shakes the world.

An Election that Shakes the World – Between Faith, Power, and Secular Interests

The election of the Pope remains a unique event of its kind, a millennial rite that is renewed with each apostolic succession, a moment of suspension and waiting that captures the attention of the entire world. An election that transcends the strictly religious dimension, to reveal itself as a geopolitical phenomenon of the first magnitude, with profound implications at the spiritual, political, economic, and social levels. The choice of Peter’s successor is never neutral, but reflects balances of power, ideological orientations, worldviews that confront and clash within the Catholic Church, and that inevitably reverberate on the global stage. The future of the Papacy, in an increasingly secular and complex world, will also depend on the ability of the next Pontiff to interpret the challenges of our time, to guide the Church through the storms of history, and to exercise that celestial and earthly power with wisdom, courage, and foresight. An immense task, awaiting the next elected and that will continue to shake the world, believers and non-believers, with every white smoke.