What does conclave mean in the Catholic Church?
In the Catholic Church, the conclave is the gathering of the College of Cardinals to elect a new pope after the previous pope dies or resigns. During the process, the cardinals are secluded from the outside world in the Sistine Chapel and nearby housing.
The papal conclave involves several rounds of voting on paper ballots, which are burned at the end. The smoke coming from the Sistine Chapel chimney is a sign to the outside world that the conclave is complete.
More generally, a conclave is a secret or exclusive gathering of leaders or people with shared interests (usually with the purpose of choosing new leaders or making important decisions).
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