Papal Conclave: Pope Selection Process

For centuries, the pope selection process was simply called the “papal election.” Then in 1274, the procedure was named Conclave which comes from the Latin phrase cum clavis, which means “with key.” The name is appropriate since the college of cardinals are locked inside the Sistine Chapel during the secretive election process. This graphic beautifully illustrate some key parts of the selection process, from the death and mourning of the pope to the papal Conclave.