How dem dey take elect a new pope?

Pope Francis don die and now di Roman Catholic Church must find new head.

Senior clerics wey be cardinals dey traditionally choose Popes for an extremely secret election process wey date back to di olden days.

Who fit become pope, and which pipo go elect am?

Dem go elect a new pope afta di current one die, or afta im resign (as Pope Benedict XVI bin do, for 2013).

Im replacement go becom di leader of di Roman Catholic Church - di Supreme Pontiff.

Dem fit elect any male Catholic wey don baptise as pope.

However, di job na di work of di senior officials for di Catholic Church, dia name na cardinals.

Na dem be di pipo wey dey also elect di new pope.

Na 252 cardinals dey around di world (as of 19 February 2025), wey be also bishops. Only di ones wey neva reach 80 years dey qualified to vote for a new pope.

Di number of dis "cardinal electors" dey usually limited to 120, but currently dem be 138 wey dey qualified to elect new pope. (Pope Francis bin appoint 21 new cardinals for December 2024.)

How cardinals dey elect new pope?

Wen dem need to chose a new pope, dem dey summon all di cardinals to di Vatican for Rome inside di papal Conclave.

Dis na election process wey dem don dey follow, e be like say dem neva change am at all, for some 800 years.

On di first day of di Conclave, dem go hold Mass (a Christian act of worship) for St Peter's Basilica.

Dem go con gada for di Vatican Sistine Chapel. For dia, dem go give di order "extra omnes" (Latin word wey mean "everybody out")

From den, dem go keep all di cardinals inside di Vatican until dem elect a new pope. (Di word "conclave" mean "wit key".)

Di cardinal electors get di option to get an initial vote for di Sistine Chapel on di first day of di Conclave.

From di second day onwards, dem dey hold two votes evri morning, and two votes evri afternoon for di chapel, until dem cut down di candidates for pope until e remain one pesin.

For di votes, evri cardinal elector go write di name of di candidate im like to vote for on ballot papers under di words "Eligio in Summum Pontificem", na Latin wey mean "I elect as Supreme Pontiff".

To make sure say di ballots dey secret, dem dey tell di cardinals make dem no use dia normal handwriting style.

If dem no get any decisive vote by di end of di second day, dem go give di third day for prayer and contemplation, wit no ballots at all. Voting go resume as normal afta di prayer.

One candidate need two-thirds of di cardinal electors votes to be di elected pope.

Di process fit take many days, or somtimes weeks.

Wetin dey happun inside di papal Conclave?

Dem dey hold di Conclave for strict isolation. Cardinals fit no leave di Vatican, dem no fit listen to radio sef, watch television, read newspapers or contact anybody for di outside world by phone.

Nobody dey allowed to enta inside di cardinals' quarters except housekeeping staff, doctors and di priests wey dey hear dia confessions. All of dem bin don already swear to secrecy.

Between di votes, di cardinals (both di electors and di ones wey dey too old to vote) dey spend dia time to discuss di relative merits of di candidates.

Nobody dey allowed to campaign openly. Di Vatican say di cardinals dey guided by di Holy Spirit.

Despite dis, pipo beliv say di process to gada support for one candidate or anoda one dey veri political.

Two times evriday during di Conclave, dem dey burn ballot papers wey dem don use and pipo wey dey outside di Vatican go see di smoke wey dey come out from di chimney of di Sistine Chapel.

Dem dey put black or white dye ontop di papers. Black smoke signify say dem neva conclude di vote; white smoke indicate say dem don choose new pope.

Wetin dey happun wen dem elect pope?

Immediately im win di vote, dem go ask di new pope: "You don accept di canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?"

Im go choose di name wey dem go call am as pope, dem go con wear am im robes of office.

Di cardinals go pay am homage and promise to obey am

Dem go con make announcement for di balcony of St Peter's Basilica to di crowd wey dey ground, wey go features di words "habemus papam", Latin wey mean: "We don get pope."

Dem go con announce di new pope name, and di man imsef go appear. Im go con make short addresS (speech) and give di traditional blessing "urbi et orbi" – Latin wey mean "to di city and di world".

Later, dem dey show di Pope di results of each round of voting for di Conclave. Dem go con seal am, put am for di Vatican archives, dem go only fit open am wen di Pope give di order.