Conclave 2025: Start time, schedule, how it works, timeline, new pope candidates, and everything to know

The whole world mourned when news broke of Pope Francis’s death on April 21. The 88-year-old head of the Catholic Church was admired even by nonbelievers as a man of progressive values leading the church into the modern era.

While some wished his policies had gone further, most agreed that the late pope acted as a much-needed moral leader to humanity. His death leaves a void that must be filled through an election process known as the conclave, which starts today (Wednesday, May 7, 2025).