The unofficial conclave has already begun.

Cardinals in Rome for Pope Francis’ funeral have been having informal discussions about the future leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, a Vatican observer told The Post.

“What’s happening now is they’re having conversations — some of these cardinals may have only met each other in passing, so they’re really getting to know each other first,” said Rev. Patrick Flanagan, chair of St. John’s University’s theology department.

Cardinals last entered the Sistine Chapel to begin the conclave on Mar. 12, 2013. REUTERS

“But they’re also having these informal sessions where they are speaking about how they hope that the next pope will meet the needs that are going to be facing the church.”

Any male baptized Catholic can be elected His Holiness, but for centuries only cardinals have been selected.

Candidates will be judged at the official conclave — a protocol dating back to the 13th century.

“People are taking bets on who he’s going to be, how long the conclave is going to be, what his name is going to be,” said Flanagan. “But I have no idea.”

Here is how the process will play out:

A conclave to pick the next pope will likely convene in early May. Mike Guillen/NY Post Design

135 Cardinals are eligible to vote for the next pope. Mike Guillen/NY Post Design

The procedure for electing a new pontiff begins with “novemdiales,” nine days of mourning, which begins on the day of Francis’ funeral on April 26.

Conclave commences 15 to 20 days after a pope dies or resigns. 

Cardinals have allegedly started unofficial talks about who will lead the future’s 1.4 billion Catholics. Getty Images

Pope Francis died on Monday. Getty Images

The church enters a period known as “sede vacante” — a Latin phrase that translates to “vacant seat” — which lasts until “the moment the new guy says yes,” Flanagan explained.

During this time, the College of Cardinals will temporarily take over the Church, led by the camerlengo, Cardinal Kevin Farrell.

“He was chosen by the pope in 2019 as the one who would oversee the church,” explained Flanagan. “He’s actually from Ireland, and when he emigrated to the United States, he became bishop of Dallas.”

Major Vatican decision-making is put on hold during this period.

Only 138 of the world’s 253 cardinals will be able to serve as electors in the conclave, as no cardinal over the age of 80 can participate in voting. The older cardinals are only allowed to participate in preliminary meetings.

The princes of the Church meet in the famed Sistine Chapel, the sacred Vatican site adorned with Michelangelo’s paintings.

Cardinals embrace after late Pope Francis’ funeral ceremony at St Peter’s Square at the Vatican on April 26, 2025. AFP via Getty Images

Cardinal Camerlengo Kevin Joseph Farrel signed the official deed of late Pope Francis before closing his casket in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on Friday. AP

The process begins with a mass, then voting takes place every day, morning and afternoon. After every seven ballots, there is break day for prayer.

The cardinals hold ballot sessions until one candidate has more than two-thirds of the vote. The voting process could hypothetically end in hours, after the first ballot, if that super majority is reached. Multiple balloting can also go on for days or weeks.

The shortest conclave history was in 1503, when Pope Julius II was elected in just under 10 hours.

The 2013 papal conclave, when Pope Francis was elected, was one of the shortest in history, lasting just over 24 hours. 

The longest conclave of the last 200 years was in 1831, when it took 51 days to elect Pope Gregory XVI. The longest in history was 33 months to elect Pope Gregory X IN 1268.

Cardinal Ruben Salazar Gomez and Cardinal Luis Jose Rueda Aparicio arrive at the Vatican on Friday. REUTERS

Once the conclave — held in the Italian language — begins, the cardinals are not allowed to leave the Vatican until they have chosen a new pope.

The archbishops sleep in the Casa Santa Marta on the Vatican grounds and won’t have access to phones, the internet or newspapers.

“Everyone is is sworn to secrecy,” Flanagan said. “It’s respect for the process, but also respect for the man.”

The media has anointed several cardinals as frontrunners, but the vote is far from a fait accompli.

“The church believes that the Holy Spirit does not pick, but inspires these cardinals to choose the man,” Flanagan said.

The cardinals cast their secret ballots by saying a prayer and then placing their vote cards in a large gold chalice. The cards have the Latin words “Eligo in Summum Pontificem” — meaning “I choose as Supreme Pontiff” — emblazoned on them.

Cardinal Baldassare Reina sat as faithful pay their respect to Pope Francis lying in state inside St. Peter’s Basilica on Friday. AP

In the past, huge crowds have swarmed St. Peter’s Square as the voting sessions are held so they can keep watch on the chimney on top of the Sistine Chapel.

If a majority isn’t reached, the ballot cards are put in a stove and burned with an additive that produces black smoke, which signals to the world that a pope has not been chosen.

If no majority is reached in three days, sessions are suspended for a day. The process then continues in the same format until a new pope is picked.

Once a two-thirds majority is reached, “They ask the man, ‘Do you accept?’ and he says yes or no. We’ve never heard any stories about the guy saying no,” said Flanagan.

“And then they ask him, ‘What do you want to be called?’”

When white smoke rises from the chimney on the Sistine Chapel, a new pope has been elected. Getty Images

Dean of the College of Cardinals Giovanni Battista Re blesses the coffin during the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. AP

The secret ballots are burned with an additive that produces white smoke, signaling to the waiting throngs that a pope has been elected.

The new pontiff sits on a throne inside the chapel as the other cardinals file up one by one to swear obedience.

Soon after, the senior cardinal deacon goes out on the main balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to reveal the identity of the church’s next leader.

The pope visits the Pauline Chapel to pray for a few minutes before appearing on the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

To announce his arrival, a cardinal says, “Habemus papam!” — “We have a pope!”