The cardinal electors pray and vote by paper ballots until one man emerges with a 2/3 majority of the votes. If he accepts the position he is declared the new pope.
We will not know until the current pope dies and the Cardinals choose a new pope in a secret conclave.
Any cardinal under age 80 is eligible to vote in the conclave to elect a pope.
Two days was the length of the conclave that chose Benedict XVI as pope. He was elected on the 4th ballot.
No, there is no pope during a conclave. The purpose of a conclave is to elect a new pope because the position is vacant. However, the cardinal electors who are in the conclave do eat while there.
He was chosen in a secret election between cardinals called a conclave.
When there is no pope.
The next conclave to elect a pope will occur a few days after Pope Francis either dies or resigns.
The cardinals gathered in the Vatican for the secret conclave to elect a new pope.
The pope's death removes him. There is no pope during the conclave that elects a pope.
The papal conclave, October 1503 elected Giuliano della Rovere as Pope Julius II to succeed Pope Pius III and the conclave took only ten hours, the shortest in history.
conclave
He was elected in 2005 as pope on the 4th ballot of the conclave.