How many votes does a candidate need to be elected pope?

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Cardinals of the Catholic Church, dressed in red, sit at long tables in the Sistine Chapel during the 2005 papal election conclave, surrounded by ornate frescoed walls. — papal conclave Cardinals assembled inside the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican Palace for a conclave to elect a new pope; Vatican City, 2005.

To be elected pope, a candidate must receive a two-thirds majority of the votes from the cardinal electors participating in the papal conclave.12

This requirement was established by the Third Lateran Council in 1179 to ensure a decisive outcome. While Pope John Paul II had previously introduced a provision allowing for a simple majority after 30 ballots, Pope Benedict XVI restored the traditional two-thirds majority requirement in 2007.34