It has been two weeks since the death of Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio), the 266th pope and the first Latin American pontiff. On Wednesday the conclave, a centuries-old ritual to elect his successor, will begin.
What is the conclave?
After the death of a Pope, cardinals from all over the world arrive at Vatican City to elect the next head of the Catholic church. The conclave was established to prevent a prolonged period without a Pope, also known as the sede vacante.
Conclave comes from two Latin words: cum (with) and clavis (key). The process takes place behind closed doors with the cardinals isolated from the outside world, without a mobile phone signal.
How long does it take?
There is no specific duration for this process. Between the 16th and 19th centuries, the conclave used to take several days or months. The longest it took was six months, to elect Pope Benedict XIV in August 1740.
However, it has taken no more than five days in the current and previous century. The election of Pope Francis took two days.
Who votes?
Only cardinals under 80 years old are eligible to vote or be chosen as the new pontiff. They vote in secret, and after each vote, the ballots are burned.
Dark smoke rising from Vatican City's Sistine Chapel chimney indicates the conclave is continuing. When a cardinal wins two-thirds of the votes, the conclave ends. The ballots are burned, but this time the smoke is white, indicating "habemus papam" (we have a pope).
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
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Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
