May 4, 2025 | Preparing for the Conclave

As the College of Cardinals prepares for the conclave to elect a new pope May 7, Catholic Review Editor Christopher Gunty gets some inside info from Monsignor Richard Hilgartner, pastor of St. Joseph parish in Cockeysville, Md., and former executive director of the Secretariat of Divine Worship at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Monsignor Hilgartner talks about what it was like to be in St. Peter’s Square to see the white smoke signaling the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in 2005. He also provides some details on the process for voting in the Sistine Chapel.