Conclaves to elect a new pope have varied widely in length throughout history, but modern conclaves typically last only a few days.

• Historically, conclaves could last months or even years. The longest conclave on record took about 1,006 days (nearly three years) in the 13th century to elect Pope Gregory X after the death of Pope Clement IV

. This extreme duration led to the practice of locking cardinals "under lock and key" (conclave) to speed up decisions.

• In more recent centuries, conclaves have shortened considerably. The last conclave that took longer than a week was in 1831, lasting 51 days to elect Pope Gregory XVI

• Since then, conclaves have generally lasted between two and three days. For example, Pope Francis was elected after two days and five rounds of voting in 2013, and Pope Benedict XVI was elected after two days in 2005

• The current procedure involves voting rounds twice daily after the first day, with cardinals continuing to vote until a candidate receives a two-thirds majority. If no decision is reached after three days, voting pauses for a day of prayer before resuming

• There is no formal time limit for a conclave; it continues until a pope is elected, but modern conclaves rarely extend beyond a few days

In summary, while conclaves have historically ranged from hours to years, modern conclaves typically last about two to three days, with the possibility to extend if needed.