What to know about the conclave to elect the next pope

VATICAN CITY (AP) — One hundred and thirty-three cardinals sequestered themselves behind the Vatican's medieval walls for a conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis. Here are some things to know about the election of the 267th pontiff of the Catholic Church, which has 1.4 billion faithful across the world.

The conclave was called after Francis died on April 21 at age 88. There was a delay between his death and the conclave to allow time for a funeral, burial and a period of mourning. It was also necessary to give cardinals time to arrive in Rome from all corners of the Earth, and to let them get acquainted before entering the conclave, an ancient ritual steeped in mystery and ritual.

A solemn day began with a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica. The cardinals walked in procession into the frescoed Sistine Chapel, chanting the meditative “Litany of the Saints” and the Latin hymn “Veni Creator,” imploring the saints and the Holy Spirit to help them pick a pope.

The cardinals are cut off from the world at the Vatican, between residences and the Sistine Chapel, where they vote in secret — and in silence — beneath Michelangelo’s famed ceiling fresco of the Creation and his monumental “Last Judgment.”

The process — fictionalized in the 2024 political thriller “Conclave” — is said to be guided by the Holy Spirit, and is designed to be both contemplative and free from outside interference.

Taking no chances, the Vatican is asking cardinals to hand over their phones for the duration of the conclave and is deactivating cell phone coverage at the Vatican. It is using signal jammers around the Sistine Chapel and the Domus Santa Marta hotel and adjacent residence where the cardinals will sleep, to prevent surveillance and communication with the outside world.

The electors cast paper ballots, and voting continues until one candidate receives a two-thirds majority, or 89 votes. After voting, ballots are burned in a special stove — black smoke signals no decision, while white smoke means a new pope has been chosen.

Electors must be under 80 years old, and are more geographically diverse than ever. They represent Catholicism’s growing presence in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, as well as its traditional power base in Europe.

The longest conclave in history lasted nearly three years, but it's reasonable to assume that this conclave will be much, much shorter.

Cardinals this week said they expect a short conclave, though it will likely take at least a few rounds of voting.

A first round produced darks dark smoke that rose into Wednesday's night sky, sending a disappointed crowd to disperse in all directions.

For most of the past century, it has taken between three and eight ballots to find a pope. John Paul I — the pope who reigned for 33 days — was elected on the third ballot in 1978. His successor, St. John Paul II, needed eight. Francis was elected on the fifth in 2013.

There are no official candidates for the papacy, but some cardinals are considered “papabile,” or possessing the characteristics necessary to become pope.

After John Paul II broke the Italian hold on the papacy in 1978, the field has broadened considerably, such that cardinals from far-flung countries are now seen as contenders.

Of the 133 cardinals expected to vote at the conclave, 108 were appointed by Francis. They may feel a loyalty to continuing his legacy — even though the late pontiff didn’t choose cardinals based on ideology, but rather for their pastoral priorities and geographical diversity.

Once a candidate receives the necessary votes and accepts, he chooses a papal name and enters the “Room of Tears” — named for the emotional weight of the responsibility ahead — to don his papal vestments.

Minutes later, he is introduced to the world from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica with the proclamation in Latin: "Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: Habemus Papam!” (“I bring you tidings of great joy: We have a pope!”)

That will be immediately followed by the revelation of his baptismal name, in Latin, followed by the papal name he has chosen.

Every new pope is seen as a successor to St. Peter, the apostle believed by Catholics to have been appointed by Jesus as the head of the church. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells him, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church," a verse that forms the biblical basis for the papacy.

According to tradition, Peter traveled to Rome to spread the Christian message and was martyred there during the reign of the Emperor Nero, around 64 A.D., as Christians were being persecuted. He was said to be crucified upside down at his own request, considering himself unworthy to die in the same manner as Jesus.

St. Peter’s Basilica now stands over what is believed to be his tomb.

Though the pope leads a religious institution, his influence extends far beyond it. Pope John Paul II played a pivotal role in supporting the Solidarity movement in his native Poland and encouraging resistance to Soviet domination in Eastern Europe. His moral leadership was credited by many with helping to hasten the end of the Cold War.

Pope Francis, the first pontiff from Latin America, became a prominent voice on global issues from climate change to migration and economic inequality. He called for compassion toward refugees, warned against the dangers of nationalism, and urged action to protect the planet — stances that resonated well beyond church walls, and at times put him at odds with political leaders.

The first sign of the new pope’s priorities will come in the name he chooses.

A Francis II might signal a new pope's embrace of Francis' legacy of prioritizing the poor and marginalized; a Pius would hint at a traditionalist restoration.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Cardinal John Dew leaves the Vatican on Monday, May 5, 2025, after attending the General Congregation of cardinals in the New Synod Hall where they are preparing for the upcoming conclave starting on May 7, to elect the 267th Roman pontiff. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Firefighters place the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, where cardinals will gather to elect the new pope, at the Vatican, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Clouds pass over the St. Peter Basilica at the Vatican, Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Papal vestments of three different sizes hang in the Room of the Tears, a chamber next to the Sistine Chapel where the new pope dresses before appearing on the balcony, at the Vatican, Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (Vatican Media via AP)

A Vatican employee annulls the papal seal on the pope's seal, at the Vatican, Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (Vatican Media via AP)

The intelligence-generated image of President Donald Trump dressed as pope fills the front-page of an Italian newspaper in Rome, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

The Sistine Chapel, where cardinals will gather to elect the new pope, is seen Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (Vatican Media via AP)

Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti arrives at the Vatican, Monday, May 5, 2025, to attend the General Congregation of cardinals in the New Synod Hall where they are preparing for the upcoming conclave starting on May 7, to elect the 267th Roman pontiff. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

In this image made available on Tuesday, May 6, 2025 by Vatican Media, Vatican Master of Ceremonies Archbishop Diego Giovanni Ravelli takes the oath of secrecy for all those assigned to the conclave during a ceremony in the Pauline Chapel at the Vatican, Monday, May 5, 2025. (Vatican Media via AP)

Journalists look at a photograph of the conclave where late Pope Francis was elected on March 13, 2013, and displayed inside the Borgia Apartments at the Vatican Museums during a press tour, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

BERLIN (AP) — Russia has indicated it's open to Ukraine joining the European Union as part of a potential peace deal to end the war, U.S. officials said Monday.

The officials who briefed reporters after U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as well as British, French and German officials in Berlin over the last two days said that such an offer would be a major concession by Moscow. But Russia has previously said it does not object to Ukraine joining the EU.

The U.S. officials, who were not authorized to comment publicly by the White House and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that the U.S. has also agreed to provide unspecified security guarantees to Kyiv as part of the deal but that such an offer won’t be on the table “forever.”

The latest round of talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. envoys ended Monday as Kyiv faces Washington’s pressure to swiftly accept a U.S.-brokered peace deal while confronting an increasingly assertive Moscow.

Ukraine's lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said on social media that “real progress” had been achieved at the talks in Berlin with President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner as well as European officials. The talks lasted roughly 90 minutes, after a five-hour session Sunday.

The U.S. government said in a social media post on Witkoff’s account after Sunday's meeting that “a lot of progress was made.”

The search for possible compromises has run into major obstacles, including control of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, which is mostly occupied by Russian forces.

Zelenskyy has expressed readiness to drop Ukraine’s bid to join the NATO military alliance if the U.S. and other Western nations give Kyiv security guarantees similar to those offered to NATO members. But Ukraine’s preference remains NATO membership as the best security guarantee to prevent further Russian aggression however this option doesn’t currently have full backing from all allies.

Still, Ukraine has continued to reject the U.S. push for ceding territory to Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin wants Ukraine to withdraw its forces from the part of Donetsk region still under its control as one of the key conditions for peace.

Zelenskyy’s itinerary on Monday also included meetings with German and other European leaders. French President Emmanuel Macron’s office confirmed he would travel to Berlin later Monday.

“The issue of security in particular will ultimately determine whether this war actually comes to a standstill and whether it flares up again,” a spokesperson for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Stefan Kornelius, told reporters.

The Russian president has cast Ukraine’s bid to join NATO as a major threat to Moscow’s security and a reason for launching the full-scale invasion in February 2022. The Kremlin has demanded that Ukraine renounce the bid for alliance membership as part of any prospective peace settlement.

Zelenskyy emphasized that any Western security assurances would need to be legally binding and supported by the U.S. Congress.

The Kremlin said Monday it expected to be updated on the Berlin talks by the U.S. side.

Asked whether the negotiations could be over by Christmas, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said trying to predict a potential time frame for a peace deal was a “thankless task.”

“I can only speak for the Russian side, for President Putin,” Peskov said. “He is open to peace, to a serious peace and serious decisions. He is absolutely not open to any tricks aimed at stalling for time.”

Putin has denied plans to attack any European allies.

In London, meanwhile, the new head of the MI6 spy agency was set to warn on Monday how Putin’s determination to export chaos around the world is rewriting the rules of conflict and creating new security challenges.

Blaise Metreweli was using her first public speech as chief of the United Kingdom’s foreign intelligence service to say that Britain faces increasingly unpredictable and interconnected threats, with emphasis on “aggressive, expansionist” Russia.

Russia fired 153 drones of various types at Ukraine overnight Sunday into Monday, according to Ukraine’s Air Force, which said 133 drones were neutralized, while 17 more hit their targets.

In Russia, the Defense Ministry on Monday said forces destroyed 130 Ukrainian drones overnight. An additional 16 drones were destroyed between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. local time.

Eighteen drones were shot down over Moscow itself, the defense ministry said. Flights were temporarily halted at the city’s Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports as part of safety measures, officials said.

Damage details and casualty figures were not immediately available.

Madhani contributed from Washington. Pietro De Cristofaro in Berlin, Illia Novikov in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England, contributed to this report.

Follow the AP’s coverage of Russia's war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy smiles during a visit of the German federal parliament, Bundestag, in the Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (Christoph Soeder/dpa via AP)

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, center right, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center left, President of Ukraine, leave the Bellevue Palace in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (Kay Nietfeld/dpa/dpa via AP)

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier welcomes Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Bellevue Palace in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Maryam Majd)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives at the Bellevue Palace for talks with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Steve Witkoff, Special Envoy of the United States, center, exits from the American Embassy in Berlin, Monday Dec. 15, 2025. (Fabian Sommer/dpa via AP)

Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, exits from the American Embassy in Berlin, Monday Dec. 15, 2025. (Fabian Sommer/dpa via AP)

Steve Witkoff, special envoy of the United States, leaves through a hotel garage for talks between representatives of the U.S. and Ukraine in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz,stands in his office in the chancellory in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Maryam Majd)

Steve Witkoff, special envoy of the United States, arrives for talks between representatives of the U.S. and Ukraine, at the Hotel Adlon, in Berlin, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (Kay Nietfeld/dpa via AP)

Jared Kushner, entrepreneur and former chief adviser to President Donald Trump, arrives for talks between representatives of the U.S. and Ukraine at the Hotel Adlon, in Berlin, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (Kay Nietfeld/dpa via AP)

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, right, watches Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arriving at the chancellory in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Maryam Majd)