Providing rare glimpses into the centuries-old process of electing St. Peter’s successor, British public broadcaster BBC aired the documentary “Secrets of the Conclave” just before Christmas 2025.
The documentary detailed how the 133 cardinals voted and elected Pope Leo XIV as they were locked away from the rest of the world in conclave at the Sistine Chapel.
Dominican Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe, who was part of the May 2025 Conclave, recalled how the recent papal election saw the most cardinals, even from places one least expected them to come from, introducing more variety and more voices.
“It’s because Pope Francis reached out to places that never had a cardinal before,” Radcliffe said, citing for example the cardinal from Tehran, Iran.
The process begins
Sixteen days after the death of Pope Francis, the 2025 papal conclave began on May 7, 2025.
Before the conclave, the cardinals settled in their quarters at Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican City guesthouse for the cardinals.
Inside the Sistine Chapel, new flooring, tables, chairs, the stove where the voting ballots will be burnt, and the chimney were set up.
A guidebook for the cardinals, which featured each cardinal’s picture, biography, and qualifications, was also released to aid the electors in gauging viable candidates.
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The so-called papabile, the media-driven list of cardinals heavily considered for the papacy, also made the rounds among the cardinals and on social media.
Some of the names tossed around were Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State under Pope Francis; Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem; Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle; and the now Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of the US and Peru.
Electronics in all forms, cellphones, laptops, and even electric toothbrushes, were confiscated.
WiFi and cellular signals were cut off, putting the Vatican temporarily in a state of radiosilence—for safety and security.
Tagle, one of the three Filipino cardinals who participated in the conclave, found it amusing and “liberating” to spend several days without using his cellphone.
“I should confess—after the first day, I felt liberated. I said, ‘Wow, to be in this space where I could be left with serenity, so that I could do my mission,” Tagle said in the documentary.
Before the cardinals were finally sealed off to begin the secret election process, a moment of prayer was offered in the Pauline Chapel, after which they proceeded to the Sistine Chapel while chanting the Litany of Saints.
The Solemn Oath of Secrecy was uttered by the 133 cardinal-electors, promising to keep everything confidential.
First day
After talks and general congregations for the new cardinals were done, the first ballot was made in the afternoon on the first day of the conclave.
According to Radcliffe and other cardinals, it was unusual for the congregation to elect the new Pope immediately, as about 89 cardinals needed to agree on a candidate.
When voting, the cardinals write the name of the person they wish to elect and put the ballots in the urn placed at the altar.
A score sheet was provided to help the electors keep track of the votes.
After counting the results of the first voting round, the cardinal deacon then invites the master of pontifical liturgical celebrations to commence the burning of the ballots, as no candidate received two-thirds plus one of the required number of votes from the cardinals.
Radcliffe noted the irony of how the conclave became the center of media attention while the congregation remained isolated from it.
“We had no idea what the people were saying. And that in a way took off a weight from our shoulders,” he said.
In the following days, one round of voting was held in the morning, and one in the afternoon.
Radcliffe noticed Michelangelo’s “The Last Judgment” fresco in the Sistine Chapel, calling it “overwhelming” and “depressing,” as it depicted people being “damned going down to hell.”
“I came to see it as the triumph of love over hatred, of life over death. It is the victory of goodness over evil,” Radcliffe said.
He added that the painting was a reminder that goodness will triumph over everything, and thus, when they cast their vote, they must always consider who might be the best person to live out this mission.
‘Habemus Papam’
Radcliffe, a theologian and former Dominican master general, was surprised at how quickly the cardinals had found the new pope.
It was the fourth ballot that finally named the American and Augustinian Cardinal Robert Prevost as the 267th successor of St. Peter.
READ: Historic conclave sees US, Augustinians get first pope in Leo XIV | The Varsitarian
Tagle, who was seated beside the new pope during the conclave, recalled the brief encounter they shared when it was almost sure that Prevost would be the new pope.
“I heard him with deep sighs. So, I offered him a candy, and he accepted. I think I also gave him a glass of water,” Tagle said.
As soon as the white smoke billowed up the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, Radcliffe said he heard the almost 80,000 people at St. Peter’s Square roar, even if they did not yet know who had been elected.
Prevost, the first American to be elected to the papacy, was known for his missionary work in Peru.
He delivered his first speech as the new pope in three languages: Latin, Italian, and Spanish.
In his inaugural speech, he expressed his gratitude to his late predecessor Pope Francis and called on Catholics to embrace peace. Yuvshenka Andrea R. Osea
