Unearthing the Medieval Origins of the Papal Conclave

🇻🇦 Papal Conclave 🇻🇦

We’ve reached a point in history rarely seen in the last 50 years. The death a pope. And the election of a new pope.

The last papal conclave was in 2013, but it wasn’t the result of a death. Pope Benedict XVI resigned. He was the first pope to resign since the Middle Ages.

Since 1978 there have been four men elected to serve as Pope: John Paul in 1978, John Paul II also in 1978, Benedict XVI in 2005 and Francis in 2013.

Pope Francis died on 21 April 2025 starting a process established in the Middle Ages.

Once a Pope dies the Vatican enters a period called Sede Vacante, (Vacant Seat). Then the process of the Papal Conclave is started. Pope Gregory X issued the Papal bull Ubi periculum maius intenditur (Where greater danger lies) in 1274 which established the Papal Conclave.

Popes after Gregory rescinded the papal conclave and elections took months and years to complete.

The last pope elected outside the Papal Conclave process was Pope Celestine V in 1294. Celestine reinstated Gregory’s papal bull and the papal conclave. Celestine’s successor, Boniface VIII was elected through the Papal Conclave process as has every Pope since.

There have been modifications over the centuries but the core process remains the same.

Listen in to learn the Medieval origins of the papal conclave, how the conclave and voting process works. Who takes the oath of secrecy, why a popes change their names and what does the smoke mean?