# When Will We Have a New Pope, Best-Case Scenario? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 2, 2005, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-we-have-a-new-pope-best-case-scenario/297443 "2005-04-02T21:02:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-we-have-a-new-pope-best-case-scenario/297443/1 "2005-04-02T21:02:50Z")
Will the Conclave meet Monday morning? Can they, in theory, get the job done in a few hours? Or does it always take a few days, weeks, etc.? ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-we-have-a-new-pope-best-case-scenario/297443/2 "2005-04-02T21:13:12Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Will the Conclave meet Monday morning? Can they, in theory, get the job done in a few hours? Or does it always take a few days, weeks, etc.? No. The conclave cannot begin until at least 15 days and no later than 20 days after the pope’s death. Those 15 days include the 9 days of funeral activities in Rome. Once the conclave begins…who knows how long it will take them to elect a new pope? Someone could be elected on the first ballot…or it could take much longer. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-we-have-a-new-pope-best-case-scenario/297443/3 "2005-04-02T21:24:27Z")
[Electing the Pope](http://www.catholic-pages.com/pope/election.asp). Rest in peace, Papa. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-we-have-a-new-pope-best-case-scenario/297443/4 "2005-04-02T21:26:35Z")
Are you in a hurry to get appointed bishop somewhere **HeyHomie**? It likely won’t take all that long since new rules have made it difficult for the cardinals to deadlock for a protracted time. ---
**Author:** ![Jimpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@Jimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimpy)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-we-have-a-new-pope-best-case-scenario/297443/5 "2005-04-02T21:34:11Z")
> [@Lsura](#): > > No. The conclave cannot begin until at least 15 days and no later than 20 days after the pope’s death. Those 15 days include the 9 days of funeral activities in Rome. > > Once the conclave begins…who knows how long it will take them to elect a new pope? Someone could be elected on the first ballot…or it could take much longer. For more information, probably more than you care to know, check out– [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,59245,00.html](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,59245,00.html) If you like me, which is to say, male, you come away from that article saying, “Hey, I could be the next pope! And someone could give stop by and give me a billion dollars today too.” Side note–Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the Vicar General of Rome, is the current favorite with the oddsmakers (at 3-1) according to [CBSNews.com](http://CBSNews.com). ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-we-have-a-new-pope-best-case-scenario/297443/6 "2005-04-02T22:30:04Z")
The upcoming election would be more interesting if the choices were seeded and we could pick winners like the Final Four. John Paul II appointed nearly all of the 117 voting cardinals, which could present a problem since it can often be hard to pick a candidate if everybody thinks in similar ways. It’s not like different factions can play off each other. If I could be a fly on the wall in that process, it would be great. With the exception that most of it would be conducted in languages I don’t understand.