Why we will not know when the new Pope will be appointed: in history the Conclave lasted from 10 hours to 31 months

The countdown to the election of the new Pope after the death of Francis has begun. The Conclave will begin on Wednesday 7 May: in the afternoon there will be the first vote. The shortest Conclave ever recorded lasted only a few hours (about 10) and was held in the night between 31 October and 1 November 1503. After the death of Pius III, the cardinals met and in record time elected Julius II, born Giuliano della Rovere (1443-1513): the 216th pope of the Church is one of the most famous of the Renaissance, patron of Michelangelo and Raphael, initiator of the work on St. Peter's Basilica, founder of the Vatican Museums and the Swiss Guard. The shortest conclaves also include the last two of the 21st century: in 2005 Benedict XVI was elected in just 26 hours, with 4 ballots, while to elect Francis the cardinals took 36 hours, with 5 ballots.

The longest conclave in history lasted more than 31 months (i.e. 2 years, 7 months and 7 days), from 1 March 1271 to 1 September 1272, and led to the election of Pope Gregory X. During this conclave that took place in Viterbo, the cardinals were hampered by political difficulties and the lack of consensus between the various factions of the Church and the rulers of Europe, which led to an unprecedented delay in the election of the new pope. In the end, an agreement was reached through the mediation of the Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolph I of Habsburg, who favoured the choice of Tedaldo Visconti, who took the name Gregory X. The election of Gregory X also marked the introduction of the 'Decretum de electione papae', a reform that established the obligation to hold the conclave in an isolated area and under strict control to avoid external interference, such as that which had slowed down the electoral process. The conclave that took place in Viterbo was so exhausting that it pushed the local authorities to take drastic measures: the cardinals were literally locked up, their food rations were reduced and even the roof of the papal palace was removed, exposing them to the elements to speed up the decision. It was this extreme episode that gave rise to the modern use of the word 'conclave' (from the Latin 'cum clave', 'locked up').

There is no fixed duration, but the conclave continues until the election of a pope, which generally takes place within a short period of time: in the modern era, usually between four and five days. The duration of a conclave depends mainly on the number of ballots required to achieve a two-thirds majority. In the 20th century, the duration was rather short. The conclave that led to the appointment of Pius X in August 1903 lasted 3 days; his successor Benedict XV in September 1914, was elected 5 days. Pius XI in August 1922 was elected in a conclave that lasted 4 days, and Pius XII in March 1939 in 3 days. John XXIII was also elected in a conclave that lasted only 3 days in October 1958. His election came as a surprise to many, as he was considered a minor 'papacy', but his spirit of openness and reform, especially with the Second Vatican Council, profoundly changed the Catholic Church. After the death of John XXIII, Paul VI was elected in a conclave that lasted only three days in June 1963, with the strong support of the Italian cardinals. His pontificate was marked by the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council and a period of great transformation in the Church. The conclave that led to the election of John Paul I was extremely quick and lasted only 2 days in August 1978: his pontificate lasted only 33 days due to his untimely death.

The conclave that elected John Paul II, the first non-Italian Pope in centuries, lasted four days and came as a real surprise to the whole world, as Cardinal Karol Wojtyła was not considered a papal candidate beforehand. His election on 16 October 1978 marked a significant turning point for the Church, which experienced a great global expansion under his pontificate.