Logistical preparations . Following the death of Pope Francis, preparations began at Domus Sanctae Marthae for housing the cardinal electors. These included setting up barriers or opaque film at the windows to prevent outside contact and the construction of spaces for the celebration of the
Sacrament of Penance, private prayer, and meals.
Signal jammers were used to isolate the electors from
Bluetooth,
Wi-Fi, and
mobile networks. Because the building has only 129 bedrooms, it was necessary to provide accommodations for the 133 electors and support personnel, who stayed at Santa Marta Vecchia, next door to the main dormitory. In the Sistine Chapel, preparations included the addition of tables and chairs in the manner of
choir stalls and the covering of windows; the ballot-burning stove and the chimney, which together serve to signal the results to the outside world, were installed, as was a temporary wooden floor which served to protect the marble inlay, provide a more level surface, and hide electronic signal jammers. Both the Domus Sanctae Marthae and the Sistine Chapel were thoroughly inspected in advance of the conclave for any unauthorized devices. The
Vatican Gendarmerie, under the leadership of
Gianluca Gauzzi Broccoletti, faced many
counter-espionage challenges in protecting conclave integrity.
General congregations According to Catholic canon law, general congregations are daily meetings of all cardinals regardless of elector status and begin before all of the elector cardinals arrive in Rome. The initial meetings are focused on the logistics of the papal funeral and the conclave, including physical preparations at the Domus Sanctae Marthae (as a dormitory) and the Sistine Chapel (as a polling place). Later ones, typically the eighth and following, shift to discussions about the needs of the church and the world, and the issues facing the Roman Curia. These later general congregations are guided by the reflections given by two "distinguished and morally authoritative" clerics who are selected by the cardinals. The cardinals are also given the opportunity to make formal remarks regarding the issues facing the church. All of these speeches and discussions are termed ("interventions") in Italian. The general congregations meet in the New Synod Hall, on the first floor of the vestibule of the much larger
Paul VI Audience Hall. For the 2025 conclave, the general congregations met every day from 22 April following Francis's death until 6 May, excluding 26–27 April, 1 May, and 4 May, with the beginning of the conclave proper on 7 May. General congregations allow the cardinals to meet on their own initiative, thereby getting to know each other and exercise their
spiritual discernment; many had never met, as Francis did not hold meetings of cardinals before his
papal consistories. Furthermore, the cardinals have full access to global media and their diverse analyses and criteria for identifying the
papabile. Before leaving for Rome on 24 April, Cardinal
Pablo Virgilio David stressed that a conclave is not a political campaign but a
religious retreat. He also emphasized that it is a duty of the
College of Cardinals to discern each other via prayer,
personal letters, and even research on a website with biographical and other information set up for that purpose, and that it is not a matter of
candidates. Both the formal and informal discussions are expected to be very substantive in preparation for, and in the hope of, a speedy conclave. The discussions held at cardinals' own initiative
pratiche, or exercisesare the most frank and candid. By canon law, the congregations are bound to the same secrecy as the conclave.
Daily summary On 22 April, members of the
papal staff and household were asked to vacate their rooms at the Domus Sanctae Marthae following the death of Pope Francis in his suite on the second floor to allow for conclave preparations in that building to begin. The attending cardinals took the oath of secrecy concerning their meetings. Despite the fact that general congregations are closed to non-cardinals, Sister
Simona Brambilla, a
religious sister and the first woman to head a Vatican department (the
Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life), was accidentally sent a standard email inviting her to participate. On 23 April, the
Vatican Museums announced the closure of the Sistine Chapel beginning on 28 April, due to the needs of the conclave. At the second congregation, the program for the , or nine-day period of mourning for the deceased pope, was approved. Cardinal
Norberto Rivera Carrera stated to the press that these discussions had been mostly procedural in nature, as many cardinals from around the world were still traveling. (pictured in 2014), one of the venues for the general congregations The third congregation on 24 April, with 113 cardinals present, saw the appointment of the two conclave preachers,
Donato Ogliari and Cardinal
Raniero Cantalamessa. At the fourth general congregation on 25 April, the 149 cardinals in attendance listened to a presentation on Francis's funeral rite. By this time nearly 70 formal speeches, or "interventions", had been given. There was also discussion concerning the status of Giovanni Angelo Becciu as a cardinal elector among the participants, which continued in the following congregations until his 29 April acceptance of his non-elector status. This meeting also discussed the
clerical sexual abuse crisis, challenges in
evangelization, and
ecumenism. Twenty cardinals delivered interventions. Conservative cardinals, such as
Gerhard Müller and
Francis Arinze (not an elector), were particularly vocal during this session. The next day, at the sixth congregation on 29 April, the start time for the conclave was set at 4:30p.m., and
Cardinal Re was chosen as the celebrant for the opening Mass for the conclave.
Donato Ogliari gave his scheduled reflection to the 183 cardinals present, 124 of them being electors, emphasizing the theme of synodality from the Francis papacy. The seventh congregation on 30 April featured a discussion of the Vatican's financial issues by the 180 cardinals present, 124 of whom were electors.
Rainer Woelki stated that the meetings thus far had been "fraternal and cordial... a very concentrated, calm, factual working atmosphere". The general congregation did not meet on 1 May, the feast of
Saint Joseph the Worker, a
public holiday for the
Holy See and an ecclesiastical counterpart to the secular
International Workers' Day observed on the same day. The
National Catholic Reporter Rome bureau reported that Prevost was "emerging as a serious frontrunner". At the ninth congregation on 2 May, 177 cardinals were present, of whom 127 were electors. Twenty-six cardinals spoke. Among the subjects discussed were: communion (
koinonia) within the church and fraternity in and with the world; the hope of some that the next pope would be 'prophetic'; and the
2025 Jubilee. The tenth and eleventh congregations were both held on 5 May and discussed a wide range of church topics. On 6 May, the twelfth and final congregation of the College of Cardinals took place. This congregation witnessed the ceremonial destruction of Francis's symbols of office: his
fisherman's ring and
lead seal. ==Conclave==