How does Conclave elect new pope?

The passing of the pope looks to initiate the procedure of electing a new leader of the Catholic Church.

Our Choi Soo-hyung walks us through that protocol.

"With key."

That's the literal meaning of Conclave, which comes from the Latin "cum clave."

In the Catholic Church, the Conclave is the secret meeting of cardinals, under the age of 80, held to elect a new pope.

The meeting takes place 15 to 20 days after the pope's death, leaving enough time for a nine-day mourning period and funeral, with cardinals from around the world arriving in Rome.

The current Conclave traces its roots back to the 13th century.

Traditionally, the pope is buried four to six days after his death.

The process of electing the 267th pope begins after the mourning period.

For this Conclave, 138 cardinals are eligible to elect and to be elected as the new pontiff out of the 252 members of the College of Cardinals.

During the Conclave, the cardinals are locked inside the Sistine Chapel until the new pontiff is chosen.

They cast four ballots each day, with a two-thirds majority required to choose the pope.

The cardinals are not allowed contact with the outside world, no phones, no television, and no newspapers.

After each vote, the ballots are burned, and the smoke coming from the chapel's chimney is the only signal to the outside world.

Black smoke means an inconclusive vote, while white smoke marks the election of a new pope.

Once elected, the bells of the Sistine Chapel ring, and after the chosen candidate accepts the office, an official announcement is made, revealing the new pope's papal name.

Pope Francis, elected on March 13th, 2013, was chosen after five rounds of voting, just two days into the Conclave.

The senior cardinal deacon introduces the newly elected pontiff with the traditional declaration, "Habemus Papam," meaning "We have a pope."

Following Pope Francis, the first Latin-American pontiff, all eyes are now on whether the next pope, for the first time, could come from Asia or Africa.

Choi Soo-hyung, Arirang News.