DDH – Conclave

In a world where political campaigns stretch on for years and headlines shift by the hour, there’s one ancient process that still clings to ritual, secrecy, and a whiff of incense: the papal conclave.

In this week’s episode of Dave Does History on Bill Mick Live, Dave Bowman walks us through the Church’s time-tested — and often misunderstood — method of selecting a new pope, following the death of Pope Francis earlier that morning. With Bill playing the candid Protestant everyman and Dave digging deep into the Vatican vaults of historical oddities, the hour unfolds like a master class in Catholic tradition… with a side of irreverent banter.

Listen to the show:

Listeners are treated to the origin of the conclave system, born not in peaceful prayer but in civil frustration. (Pro tip: if your election lasts more than 1,000 days, the people might tear the roof off.) From there, Dave outlines how Gregory X laid down the law in 1274 at the Second Council of Lyon: lock the cardinals in, remove their luxuries, and don’t let them out until white smoke billows.

Throughout the show, Dave and Bill challenge misconceptions — like the viral myth of the silver hammer — and shine light on the conclave’s procedural quirks, including the modern cardinals’ cushy but sealed-off accommodations at the Domus Sanctae Marthae. But it’s not all incense and Latin. Politics, power blocs, and backroom deals still pulse beneath the cassocks, as Dave reminds us: “Choosing the Vicar of Christ is not just about divine guidance. It’s about human nature — flawed, faithful, and sometimes fantastically theatrical.”

From the historical chaos of the 1268–1271 deadlock to the intrigue of 1492’s Borgia bribes and 1903’s imperial veto, this episode connects the sacred and the strategic, the spiritual and the spectacular. It’s a reminder that even as the Sistine Chapel falls into solemn silence, the real story might lie in the shadows — or at least in the smoke.

So whether you’re Catholic, curious, or just wondering how many bathrooms are in the Sistine Chapel, this episode has something for you. Give it a listen. Just don’t bet on who gets picked — Pope Gregory XIV excommunicated people for that.