I can provide information about papal conclaves and the process of electing a new Pope.

Here's a breakdown of key aspects:

Composition and Eligibility

• Cardinal Electors: Only Cardinals may elect a new Pope 1 2. Cardinals are chosen by the Pope and are generally bishops, though they can be priests 3.
• Age Limit: Cardinals who are over the age of 80 before the day the papacy becomes vacant are not eligible to participate in the election of the Pope 2.
• Number of Electors: The maximum number of Cardinal electors is 120 2.
• Other Participants: Besides the Cardinals, prelates, conclavists, confessors, physicians, and servants may be present within the enclosure 2.

Process and Procedures

• Convocation: Upon the death or resignation of a Pope, the Cardinal Dean (or another Cardinal in his name) announces the convocation of the Cardinal electors 4 5. The Cardinals are required to obey this announcement 4 5 6.
• Timing: The conclave officially opens on the evening of the tenth day after the Pope's death, unless another day is assigned 2.
• Location: The election takes place in the Sistine Chapel of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican 7. The Sistine Chapel is to remain an enclosed area until the election concludes to ensure total secrecy 7.
• Secrecy: Careful checks are made to ensure no audiovisual equipment is installed for recording or transmission to the outside 7.
• Preparations: The College of Cardinals, under the authority of the Camerlengo, makes arrangements for the interior of the Sistine Chapel and adjacent areas to ensure the orderly election and its privacy 7.
• Voting: The only form by which electors can manifest their vote is by secret ballot 8.
• Balloting: The usual form of election is scrutinium, or secret ballot, and the successful candidate requires a two-thirds vote exclusive of his own 1.
• Secrecy During Voting: When ready to vote, the Cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel accompanied by their conclavists and writing materials. Prayers are said, ballots are distributed, and all except the Cardinals are excluded, with one Cardinal bolting the door 1.
• Oath: Before voting begins, the Cardinals swear an oath to elect the person who they think will be beneficial to the universal Church 9 10.
• Number of Ballots: There is not more than one ballot on any day, and it is held immediately after the Mass 9 10.
• Simony: Any simoniacal election of a Pope is invalid 1.
• Communication: Every precaution is observed to exclude those who have no right within the enclosure and to prevent unnecessary communication with the outside 2.

Election and Acceptance

• Majority: A majority vote of two thirds of the Cardinal electors present is always necessary for the valid election of a Roman Pontiff 11.
• Acceptance: The person elected as Pope is obliged to express his consent to the election 10. If he does not do so within a day of the demand, his election is annulled 10.
• Proclamation: After the election, the senior Cardinal-Deacon proclaims the new Pope to the people 2.
• Inauguration: The Pope then either confirms or appoints the Cardinal Camerlengo, who puts the Fisherman's Ring on his finger 2. If the Pope is not a bishop, he must be consecrated at once by the Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia 2.

Role of the College of Cardinals During Vacancy

• Limited Authority: During the vacancy of the Apostolic See, the government of the Church is entrusted to the College of Cardinals for the dispatch of ordinary business and matters that cannot be postponed 12 13 14.
• Restrictions: The College of Cardinals cannot make decisions that are reserved to the Roman Pontiff alone or concern the norms for the election of the new Pope 12 13 14.
• General Congregations: The Cardinal Dean presides over the General Congregations of Cardinals, which are held in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican 15.

The election of a new Pope is a complex process governed by strict rules and traditions 2. The goal is to ensure the selection of a new leader for the Catholic Church in a fair, transparent, and prayerful manner 9 10.