The conclave in the past and present
04/21/2026The conclave - the election of the Vicar of Christ. One year after the death of Pope Francis, the Schelling Forum is offering a lecture followed by a discussion on the topic of the papal election.
"Vicar of Christ" - the appointment of the highest ecclesiastical office is one of the most mysterious and at the same time most momentous processes. No other election is followed as closely around the world as that of the Pope. However, only a small section of the election is ever visible to the public: the entry of the cardinals into the Sistine Chapel, the smoke rising from their chimney and finally the public presentation after the successful election with the words "Habemus papam" on the Benediction Loggia. The election of the Pope not only has an impact on theological and ecclesiastical decisions, but also on political power relations.
Against this background, fundamental questions arise: How exactly does the election of a pope actually come about? Who is allowed to vote and who can be elected? How much power struggle is behind an election? What political dimensions are involved in this election? How have conclaves developed over the centuries? And what does the recent election of Pope Leo XIV mean for us in these turbulent times?
These questions will be explored by church historian Professor Hubert Wolf in his lecture, followed by a discussion with the evening's moderator, Dr Julia Becker, and the press spokesman of the German Bishops' Conference, Dr Matthias Kopp - and the audience is welcome to join in!
Time and place
When? Wednesday, 29 April 2026, 18:00 hrs
Where? Cardinal Döpfner Hall in the Burkardushaus Würzburg. Am Bruderhof 1, 97070 Würzburg
The event is being organised in cooperation with the Schelling Forum, the Würzburg Cathedral School and the academy project "The Formation of Europe by Overcoming Division in the 12th Century".
Contributors
Prof Dr Hubert Wolf has been Professor of Medieval and Modern Church History at the Faculty of Catholic Theology at the University of Münster since 2000. His research focuses on the history of the church, theology and piety in the 19th and 20th centuries. He has received numerous awards for his research and publications, including the DFG Leibniz Prize, the Communicator Prize and the Sigmund Freud Prize for scientific prose.
Dr Matthias Kopp has been press spokesman for the German Bishops' Conference since 2009. He studied Catholic theology and Christian archaeology and worked as a journalist for Radio Vatican, among others. From 2006 to 2009, he worked in the State Chancellery of North Rhine-Westphalia before taking over as Head of Public Relations for the German Bishops' Conference. Since 2024, he has also been a consultant at the Dicastery for Communication in the Vatican and followed the media work of the conclave from close quarters in Rome.
Moderation
Dr Julia Becker is a medievalist. After working at the DHI Rome and the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, among others, she is currently researching and teaching at the University of Würzburg as part of the inter-academic research project "The Formation of Europe by Overcoming Division in the 12th Century" of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities.
Registration
Participation is free of charge. Please register for the event via the registration portal. If you have any questions, please send an email to schelling-forum@badw.de.
