On May 7, 2025, the Sistine Chapel will be the site of an unprecedented conclave in the history of the Catholic Church. Following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, 133 cardinals under the age of 80 will gather to elect the 267th pontiff of the Church.

This conclave is notable not only for its record size, exceeding the traditional limit of 120 electors established by the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis, but also for its geographical diversity. The 135 electors represent 71 countries from all inhabited continents, reflecting the global expansion of the College of Cardinals during Francis’s pontificate. A total of 133 of the 135 will participate.

The regional distribution is as follows:

• Europe: 53 cardinals
• Asia: 23 cardinals
• North America: 16 cardinals
• Central America: 4 cardinals
• South America: 17 cardinals
• Africa: 18 cardinals
• Oceania: 4 cardinals

It is worth noting that approximately 80% of the electors were appointed by Pope Francis, suggesting continuity in his pastoral vision and openness to traditionally underrepresented regions.

The conclave process will begin with the Mass “Pro eligendo Pontifice,” followed by secret ballots requiring a two-thirds majority for the election of the new pope. During the conclave, the cardinals will be isolated from the outside world, staying at the Domus Sanctae Marthae, although due to the record number of electors, other Vatican facilities could be used.

Among the possible candidates for the papacy, several are mentioned, although there is no clear favorite. The election of the new pontiff will be closely watched, as it will define the direction of the Church in the coming years, amid global challenges and internal renewal.

The Catholic world eagerly awaits the announcement of the “Habemus Papam,” which will mark the beginning of a new era in the history of the Church.

The electors created by the last three pontiffs

The youngest cardinal elector is Mikola Bychok, 45, an Australian by adoption, originally from Ukraine, bishop of the Eparchy of Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne for the Ukrainians. The oldest is Carlos Osoro Sierra, 79, a Spaniard.

The largest number of those born in 1947 are those who will be voting, 13 of whom have already turned 78 or are about to turn 78. Only Cardinal Baldassare Reina was born in 1970, making him 55 on November 26. Cardinals Leo Frank, born in 1971, and Rolandas Makrickas, born in 1972, have no contemporaries.

Veterans of the Conclave are the five cardinals created by Saint John Paul II: Philippe Barbarin of France, Josip Bozanić of Croatia, Péter Erdő of Hungary, Vinco Pulić of Bosnia, and Peter Turkson of Ghana.

There are, however, 22 electors who received the cardinal’s cap from Benedict XVI, and 108 who wear it because they were elected by Pope Francis.

Religious Cardinals

Among the electors are 33 cardinals from 18 religious families; there are five more Salesians (Charles Maung Bo, Virgilio Do Carmo da Silva, Ángel Fernández Artime, Cristóbal López Romero, and Daniel Sturla Berhouet); there are four consecrated members of the Order of Friars Minor (Luis Cabrera Herrera, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Jaime Spengler, and Leonardo Steiner); and four Jesuits (Stephen Chow Sau-yan, Micheal Czerny, Jean-Claude Höllerich, and Ángel Rossi); while there are three Conventual Franciscans (François-Xavier Bustillo, Mauro Gambetti, and Dominique Mathieu).

Two Dominicans (Timothy Peter Joseph Radcliffe and Jean-Paul Vesco) will also vote in the Sistine Chapel. Two Lazarists (Vicente Bokalic Iglic and Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel); two Redemptorists (Mykola Bychok and Joseph Tobin); and two SVDs (Tarcisio Kikuchu and Ladislav Nemet), as well as the Augustinian Robert Prevost; the Capuchin Fridolin Ambongo Besungu; the Discalced Carmelite Anders Arborelius; the Cistercian Orani João Tempesta; Gérald Lacroix of the Pius X Secular Institute; the Consolata Missionary Giorgio Marengo; the Missionary of the Sacred Heart of Jesus John Ribat; the Scalabrinian Fabio Baggio; and the Spiritan Dieudonné Nzapalainga.