Who elects the Pope?
It is the cardinals, those with the highest position within the Catholic Church, who have the task of electing a new Pope. However, only cardinals under the age of 80 are included in the so-called conclave. Those who are older than that will remain cardinals for life, but have no voting rights.
Nearly 140 of the total of over 250 cardinals are, according to the Vatican, under 80 years old and thus eligible to vote, including Sweden's Cardinal Anders Arborelius.
How does the process work?
It is all very secretive. The cardinals must, under oath, promise not to reveal any details about what is happening inside the conclave; what is said and how they reason. All this to avoid others trying to influence the election.
Often, several ballots, four per day, are required to achieve the two-thirds majority needed to elect a new Pope. After each ballot, the ballots are threaded onto a string and burned in a stove in the Sistine Chapel. If they have not reached an agreement, the smoke is black. Finally, when they have succeeded in electing a new Pope, it is white smoke that comes out of the chimney.
Shortly afterwards, the Pope's name is revealed. In the last two processes, the cardinals entered the conclave on day one and came out again after just a few days, but there are historical examples where it has taken over a month and even over a year.
When the conclave has reached an agreement, the election is announced and the new Pope's name is proclaimed with the classic Latin words: Habemus papam! (We have a Pope!)
What determines who it will be?
Due to the secrecy, it is difficult to know how the cardinals reason when electing a new Pope. But primarily, they should have in mind what needs the Catholic Church has and who can best meet those needs.
New this time is that the cardinals are from so many different countries. Around 110 of the cardinals with voting rights were appointed by Pope Francis and he took into account variation in his appointments. Those who are currently eligible to vote come from 71 countries and are spread across seven continents.
Therefore, it may be even harder this time to know how the cardinals will reason, since the needs differ around the world.
Can a Swede become Pope?
In theory, any practicing Catholic man can be elected Pope – but since 1379, all Popes elected have been cardinals.
There is only one Swedish cardinal. In 2017, Lars Anders Arborelius, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Stockholm, was appointed cardinal as the first Swede ever.
He himself has not wanted to talk about the possibility of him being elected Pope.
