Upon the termination of a pope’s reign, the cardinal camerlengo, the personal representative of the Sacred College of Cardinals, takes up residence in the Vatican Palace. A papal conclave is the assembly of cardinals at the Vatican to elect a new pope and the system of strict seclusion to which they submit. Security measures are taken to ensure the secrecy of the procedure—the area of the papal conclave is completely sealed off for the duration of the gathering. Additionally, the cardinals are denied access to all news media and are strictly forbidden to use telephones or computers.

The cardinals vote by secret ballot in the Sistine Chapel until a candidate has been selected. One ballot is held on the first day of the papal conclave and four on each subsequent day, two in the morning and two in the afternoon. Immediately after the count, the ballots and all related notes are burned in a stove in the chapel, and the color of the smoke enables the crowd assembled in St. Peter’s Square to know how the voting has gone. When no candidate receives the majority, the smoke is black. If a new pope has been elected, the smoke is white.

When a pope is selected, the dean of cardinals formally asks him whether he accepts his election and what name he wishes to assume. Upon his acceptance, the news is announced to the assembled populace; the senior cardinal deacon appears on the central balcony in the facade of St. Peter’s and declares, “Habemus papam” (“We have a pope”). Soon afterward the new pope appears at the same balcony and gives his first blessing as pope to the crowd.