Throughout history, the duration of papal elections has varied significantly:
- The longest papal election took place in 1268 in the Italian city of Viterbo, where cardinals took nearly three years to select Pope Gregory X due to intense disputes and divisions.
To force a decision, the city's residents locked the cardinals inside and cut off their food supply , an action that later inspired the modern "conclave" tradition!
- The shortest conclave was in 1503 , when Pope Julius II was elected within a few hours , as he was a strong pre-agreed candidate among the cardinals.
So, will we see a quick vote this year, or are we in for a long-drawn surprise?