The new pope is elected during a papal conclave, which in 2025 began on May 7. This conclave starts just over two weeks after the death of the previous pope—in this case, Pope Francis died on April 21, 2025. The conclave is held in the Sistine Chapel and involves cardinal electors under the age of 80 who vote in secret. The voting process can have up to four ballots per day after the first day, and a two-thirds majority is required to elect the new pope. The cardinals remain isolated from the outside world during this process. Smoke signals from the chapel chimney indicate voting results: black smoke means no decision yet, white smoke means a new pope has been chosen. Historically, conclaves usually last between three to five days. For the 2025 conclave, the voting started on May 7, and the new pope, Robert Francis Prevost (who took the name Leo XIV), was elected on May 8 after four ballots. So, the conclave to elect a new pope starts shortly after the previous pope’s death, typically within about two to three weeks, and the election process can take from a few days up to longer depending on the voting outcome.