" An interesting question is, How did this election of Prevost go down? "
- So quickly.
I have to say I was surprised at the speed of the decision given todays world events - it's not often you have a world at war ( pakistan india the most recent mix ) russia / ukraine, the mideast a ruin Israel Palestine Syria Lebanon - direct ties to the Church given Jerusalem and history - the Holy Land - with a plausible genocide to boot being debated internationally
So I looked it up
Duration of Pope Leo XIV’s Election
Timeline:
Pope Francis’s Death: April 21, 2025, marking the start of the papal vacancy.
Conclave Start: May 7, 2025, 16 days after Francis’s death, within the 15–20-day window mandated by Church law.
Election Date: May 8, 2025, when white smoke signaled a new pope after the first afternoon vote on the second day.
Total Conclave Duration: The conclave lasted just over 24 hours, spanning two days (May 7–8, 2025), with five ballots (one on May 7, four on May 8).
Voting Breakdown:
Day 1 (May 7): One ballot, inconclusive (black smoke).
Day 2 (May 8): Two morning ballots (black smoke), followed by the first afternoon ballot, which elected Pope Leo XIV (white smoke at ~6:00 PM Rome time).
The election required at least 89 votes (two-thirds of 133 cardinal electors).
Total Time from Vacancy to Election: 17 days (April 21 to May 8), including mourning, cardinal travel, and the conclave.
Was This Unusually Quick or Common?
Historical Context:
Modern Conclaves: Since 1831, no conclave has lasted more than four days, with most taking 2–3 days.
2013 (Pope Francis): 2 days, 5 ballots.
2005 (Pope Benedict XVI): 2 days, 4 ballots.
1978 (Pope John Paul II): 2 days, 8 ballots.
The 2025 conclave’s 2-day duration aligns with these, making it common for recent history.
Shortest Conclave: The 1503 election of Pope Julius II took a few hours after the 10-day waiting period, the fastest observing modern rules.
Longest Conclave: The 1268–1271 election (pre-conclave formalization) lasted ~1,006 days, prompting reforms by Pope Gregory X in 1274 to enforce seclusion (hence “conclave,” from Latin “cum clave”).
19th Century: The 1831 conclave took 51 days, but this is an outlier; no conclave since has exceeded a week.
2025 Conclave Specifics:
The 2-day duration is one of the shortest in recent history, matching 2005 and 2013. Only two other modern conclaves (since 1831) ended after two days.
Not the Shortest: The 1503 conclave was faster (~hours), and pre-1274 elections sometimes occurred same-day.
Examples: Pope Francis, who died in April 2025, was outspoken against Israel’s Gaza war, calling it “terrorism” (2023), urging a genocide investigation (2024), and making nightly calls to Gaza’s Holy Family Church.
His criticism strained Vatican-Israel ties, with Israel sending only an ambassador to his funeral and deleting a condolence post. The new pope, to be elected by May 7, 2025, inherits this tension amid Gaza’s crisis (51,000+ killed, famine conditions) and restricted religious access
On Holy Saturday 2025, Israeli police prevented Christians, including the Vatican’s ambassador, Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana, from entering the Holy Sepulchre, citing security. Reports mention police beating worshippers and drawing guns.
The Latin Patriarch, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, warned in 2023 that Netanyahu’s far-right government emboldens attacks on Christians, citing incidents like settlers smashing crosses at Jerusalem cemeteries or assaulting priests. In 2024, Gaza’s Holy Family Church, sheltering 500 Christians, was hit by Israeli strikes, with shrapnel damaging infrastructure. Two women were killed by alleged IDF snipers in 2023, though Israel denied targeting the church.
...There is now a rumor that the Pope's family were Cubs fans, but that he might have been a White Sox fan. However, if you believe in papal infallibility, that cannot be true. It is a matter faith.
The fact that he wore the stole/Mozzetta, took a traditional name, and celebrates the TLM in private are good signs. I’m hoping he will be an improvement on Francis: same social teaching but better on liturgy.
Honestly, it would be great to see a Pope celebrating Mass in public again.
.
" An interesting question is, How did this election of Prevost go down? "
- So quickly.
I have to say I was surprised at the speed of the decision given todays world events - it's not often you have a world at war ( pakistan india the most recent mix ) russia / ukraine, the mideast a ruin Israel Palestine Syria Lebanon - direct ties to the Church given Jerusalem and history - the Holy Land - with a plausible genocide to boot being debated internationally
So I looked it up
Duration of Pope Leo XIV’s Election
Timeline:
Pope Francis’s Death: April 21, 2025, marking the start of the papal vacancy.
Conclave Start: May 7, 2025, 16 days after Francis’s death, within the 15–20-day window mandated by Church law.
Election Date: May 8, 2025, when white smoke signaled a new pope after the first afternoon vote on the second day.
Total Conclave Duration: The conclave lasted just over 24 hours, spanning two days (May 7–8, 2025), with five ballots (one on May 7, four on May 8).
Voting Breakdown:
Day 1 (May 7): One ballot, inconclusive (black smoke).
Day 2 (May 8): Two morning ballots (black smoke), followed by the first afternoon ballot, which elected Pope Leo XIV (white smoke at ~6:00 PM Rome time).
The election required at least 89 votes (two-thirds of 133 cardinal electors).
Total Time from Vacancy to Election: 17 days (April 21 to May 8), including mourning, cardinal travel, and the conclave.
Was This Unusually Quick or Common?
Historical Context:
Modern Conclaves: Since 1831, no conclave has lasted more than four days, with most taking 2–3 days.
2013 (Pope Francis): 2 days, 5 ballots.
2005 (Pope Benedict XVI): 2 days, 4 ballots.
1978 (Pope John Paul II): 2 days, 8 ballots.
The 2025 conclave’s 2-day duration aligns with these, making it common for recent history.
Shortest Conclave: The 1503 election of Pope Julius II took a few hours after the 10-day waiting period, the fastest observing modern rules.
Longest Conclave: The 1268–1271 election (pre-conclave formalization) lasted ~1,006 days, prompting reforms by Pope Gregory X in 1274 to enforce seclusion (hence “conclave,” from Latin “cum clave”).
19th Century: The 1831 conclave took 51 days, but this is an outlier; no conclave since has exceeded a week.
2025 Conclave Specifics:
The 2-day duration is one of the shortest in recent history, matching 2005 and 2013. Only two other modern conclaves (since 1831) ended after two days.
Not the Shortest: The 1503 conclave was faster (~hours), and pre-1274 elections sometimes occurred same-day.
What will Leo do ?
He is going to have his hands full:
Examples: Pope Francis, who died in April 2025, was outspoken against Israel’s Gaza war, calling it “terrorism” (2023), urging a genocide investigation (2024), and making nightly calls to Gaza’s Holy Family Church.
His criticism strained Vatican-Israel ties, with Israel sending only an ambassador to his funeral and deleting a condolence post. The new pope, to be elected by May 7, 2025, inherits this tension amid Gaza’s crisis (51,000+ killed, famine conditions) and restricted religious access
On Holy Saturday 2025, Israeli police prevented Christians, including the Vatican’s ambassador, Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana, from entering the Holy Sepulchre, citing security. Reports mention police beating worshippers and drawing guns.
The Latin Patriarch, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, warned in 2023 that Netanyahu’s far-right government emboldens attacks on Christians, citing incidents like settlers smashing crosses at Jerusalem cemeteries or assaulting priests. In 2024, Gaza’s Holy Family Church, sheltering 500 Christians, was hit by Israeli strikes, with shrapnel damaging infrastructure. Two women were killed by alleged IDF snipers in 2023, though Israel denied targeting the church.
Jonathan Turley @JonathanTurley
...There is now a rumor that the Pope's family were Cubs fans, but that he might have been a White Sox fan. However, if you believe in papal infallibility, that cannot be true. It is a matter faith.
The fact that he wore the stole/Mozzetta, took a traditional name, and celebrates the TLM in private are good signs. I’m hoping he will be an improvement on Francis: same social teaching but better on liturgy.
Honestly, it would be great to see a Pope celebrating Mass in public again.