Conclave: How a new pope is chosen

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 5 May 2025

⏱️ 11 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In April 2005, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI following the death of Pope John Paul II.

The new leader of the Catholic Church was elected after four ballots of the papal conclave.

The late Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor was one of 115 cardinals who took part.

He spoke to Rebecca Kesby in 2013.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: Cardinals conduct their final mass before entering into the conclave in 2005. Credit: Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:00.0	Before you listen to this BBC podcast, I'd like to introduce myself. My name's Stevie Middleton and I'm a BBC Commissioner for a load of sport podcasts. I'm lucky to do that at the BBC because I get to work with leading journalists, experienced pundits and the biggest sports stars. Together we bring you untold stories and fascinating insights straight from the player's mouths. But the best thing about doing this at the BBC
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0:40.0	Hi, this is the Witness History podcast from the BBC World Service.
0:44.6	We're the podcast that takes you back to a significant moment in history
0:48.3	and we bring it all to live through incredible archive
0:51.5	and the amazing memories of one key witness.
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0:59.7	If that sounds like your thing, make sure you hit subscribe wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
1:05.6	And don't forget to turn your push notifications on too, so you never miss a show.
1:10.3	The conclave, the process of choosing
1:12.5	a new Pope, is due to star in the Vatican this week, following the death of Pope Francis.
1:19.0	The College of Cardinals will meet in private in the Sistine Chapel to debate and then vote for their
1:25.0	preferred candidates until a single name prevails.
1:28.8	The late Cardinal Corn Mac Murphy O'Connor was one of 115 cardinals
1:33.4	who took part in the conclave to elect Pope Benedict XVI in April 2005.
1:39.8	He spoke to Rebecca Kesby in 2013.
1:57.8	Father de Célysses Deus He spoke to Rebecca Kespie in 2013. April 2005 and prayers are being said in the elaborate Sistine Chapel at the Vatican
	...

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