How long conclave election lasts, most common papal names, oldest popes and more

Most internal promotions don’t get this much attention. Most job selection processes don’t have centuries of history behind them — and few, if any, have a special name. 

But then, most job selections don’t end with a new pope. 

Catholic cardinals from around the world are converging on Vatican City in advance of the conclave that will elect the successor to Pope Francis, who died Monday. Favorites have emerged, and once the conclave begins it likely won’t be long before a new pope is announced, as data shows that conclaves don’t take as long as they used to. 

Conclaves were first used to elect a pope about eight centuries ago, with early elections lasting months, even years. 

It’s been nearly 200 years since a conclave took longer than a week, with modern conclaves typically taking two to three days.