A papal conclave is the gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a new pope, who is the Bishop of Rome and the earthly head of the Catholic Church. The term "conclave" comes from the Latin cum clave , meaning "with a key," referring to the tradition of locking the cardinals in seclusion to ensure secrecy and freedom from outside influence until a new pope is chosen
. The conclave takes place in the Sistine Chapel within Vatican City. Only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote, and a two-thirds supermajority is required to elect the new pope. The cardinals take an oath to keep the proceedings secret and are not allowed to communicate with the outside world during the conclave
. The voting process involves multiple rounds of secret ballots, with smoke signals from the chapel chimney indicating the results: black smoke means no pope has been elected, while white smoke signals a successful election. The conclave can last from a single day to several days, but since 1831, no conclave has lasted more than four days. If no candidate receives the required majority after 33 or 34 ballots, a runoff vote is held between the two leading candidates
. This ancient process has evolved over centuries but remains a solemn, spiritual, and secretive event that determines the leadership of the Catholic Church worldwide
