How to follow Papal Election on Vatican Media

By Vatican News

With the beginning of the Conclave preparing to elect the 267th Pontiff, Vatican Media is mobilizing to cover each phase moment by moment, accompanied by in-depth reports.

The first event to be covered will be the “Missa pro eligendo Romano Pontifice”, which will begin at 10:00 AM on May 7, in St. Peter’s Basilica. It will be broadcast in 11 languages (Italian, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, German, Polish, Chinese, Arabic, and Vietnamese) and in Spanish Sign Language. The liturgy will also be broadcast in shortwave radio in English, French, and Portuguese to Africa.

In the afternoon, at 4:30 PM, the entry of the cardinal electors into the Conclave will take place, along with their oath-taking ceremony before the "Extra omnes" – the moment when the doors of the Sistine Chapel are closed to begin the voting. This ceremony will also be covered live in 11 languages, in addition to Sign Language in English, Spanish, and Italian. Vatican Media will provide video and photo coverage of both events.

The “Live” Wait

Beginning on the afternoon of May 7, anticipation will mount for the white smoke, which signals the election of the new Pope.

Vatican News and Vatican Radio will provide daily live coverage of the Conclave proceedings, both via video (on YouTube) and audio in 7 languages (Italian, English, French, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Polish).

The reports will document the results of the votes and the resulting smoke signals, which will appear at the end of the morning and the end of the day if black, or also in mid-morning or mid-afternoon if white smoke rises from the Sistine Chapel chimney.

Following the decisive white smoke, live reporting will expand from 7 to 12 languages, with the addition of commentary in Arabic and Vietnamese, as well as sign language interpretation in Italian, French, and Spanish.

In addition, from the moment the white smoke appears, the key moments leading up to the announcement of the new Pope will also be broadcast live on Facebook in 10 languages. L’Osservatore Romano will publish a special edition immediately after the white smoke, which will be distributed for free in St. Peter’s Square.

Overall, editorial coverage—across both written and spoken formats, including live reporting and in-depth analysis—will span 56 languages, the same languages that make up the information system of Vatican Radio, Vatican News, and L’Osservatore Romano.