ZDF sends live: Pope election ensures program changes from May 7th!

ZDF sends live: Pope election ensures program changes from May 7th!

May 7, 2025 will be of great importance for the Catholic Church, since on this day the conclave begins to choose the successor of Pope Francis in Rome. After the death of the popular Pope, which died on Easter Monday at the age of 88, there is great grief and also uncertainty about the future orientation of the church. The cardinals will come together in the Sistine chapel to make the choice that is of crucial importance for the Catholic community in a time determined by internal consultations.

The ZDF plans extensive live reporting in order to appreciate this historical event appropriately. From 4 p.m. on May 7, 2025, there will therefore be a variety of regular programs. Instead, a “ZDF Special” is sent live from Rome, moderated by Antje Pieper. The program will concentrate on the move into the conclave and offer the viewers the opportunity to pursue the course of the election up close. In addition, the transfer of the decisive moment, when the new Pope will appear in St. Peter's Basilica, will be seen with the words "Habemus Papam".

program changes and special programs

The changes in the program are comprehensive: the following programs are no longer available on May 7th from 4 p.m.:

• "Today - in Europe"
• "The Rosenheim Cops"
• "Today"
• "Hello Germany"

Regular program will be resumed from 6 p.m. In addition, the ZDF plans further special programs, discussion rounds and documentaries related to the pope election. On May 6, 2025, “today - in Europe” will already report live from Rome and offer a mood report from the Vatican.

A discussion round entitled "Successor wanted: Who can Pope can do in times of crisis?" will also take place on May 6th at 8 p.m. on the web and app of the ZDF. This broadcast will be broadcast on TV on May 7th at 0.15 a.m. after the "Today Journal Update", moderated by Andreas Klinner.

A look at the cardinals and the choice

During the conclusion, the cardinals entitled to vote, including three Germans, Reinhard Marx, Rainer Maria Woelki and Gerhard Ludwig Müller, are withdrawn to the Sistine chapel. Contact with the outside world is prohibited during this time. The choice can take a few hours to several weeks without a defined time limit, and requires a two -thirds majority of the votes. The voltage will continue to increase if the ballot papers are burned after the electoral scenes: Black smoke signals that no decision has been made, while white smoke shows the successful result of an election.

These historical moments are comprehensively documented by ZDF. In addition to the “ZDF Special”, many older and new documentation are also available, such as the already broadcast “Blackbox Conclave”, which offers deeper insights into the election processes. Further documentation on current topics of the church will continue to be offered in the media library and on ZDFheute.

For more information and current updates to developments in the Vatican and to report on the papal election, please visit Ruhr24 href = "https://presseportal.zdf.de/pressemitteigung/apst-wahl-zdf-bericht-umfassend-ueber-das-conk"> zdf presseportal and ZDF news .