Voting for new Pope set to begin with cardinals entering secret conclave

On Wednesday evening, nether the domed ceiling of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, 133 cardinals volition ballot to elite the Catholic Church's 267th pope.

The time volition statesman astatine 10:00 (09:00 BST) with a wide successful St Peter's Basilica. The service, which volition beryllium televised, volition beryllium presided implicit by Giovanni Battista Re, the 91-year-old Cardinal Dean who was besides the celebrant of Pope Francis' funeral.

In the aboriginal afternoon, mobile awesome wrong the territory of the Vatican volition beryllium deactivated to forestall anyone taking portion successful the conclave from contacting the extracurricular world.

Around 16:15 (15:15 BST), the 133 cardinal electors volition stitchery successful the Pauline Chapel and signifier a procession to the Sistine Chapel.

All the portion they volition beryllium singing a litany and the hymn Veni Creator - an invocation to the Holy Spirit, which is seen arsenic the guiding manus that volition assistance cardinals take the caller Pope.

Once successful the Sistine Chapel, 1 manus resting connected a transcript of the Gospel, the cardinals volition pronounce the prescribed oath of secrecy which precludes them from ever sharing details astir however the caller Pope was elected.

When the past of the electors has taken the oath, a meditation volition beryllium held. Then, the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations Diego Ravelli volition denote "extra omnes" ("everybody out").

He is 1 of 3 ecclesiastical unit allowed to enactment successful the Sistine Chapel contempt not being a cardinal elector, adjacent though they volition person to permission the premises during the counting of the votes.

The infinitesimal "extra omnes" is pronounced marks the commencement of the cardinals' isolation – and the commencement of the conclave.

The word, which comes from the Latin for "cum clave", oregon "locked with key" is somewhat misleading, arsenic the cardinals are nary longer locked inside; rather, connected Tuesday Vatican officials closed the entrances to the Apostolic Palace – which includes the Sistine Chapel- with pb seals which volition stay until the extremity of the proceedings. Swiss guards volition besides flank each the entrances to the chapel.

Diego Ravelli volition administer ballot papers, and the cardinals volition proceed to the archetypal ballot soon after.

While thing forbids the Pope from being elected with the archetypal vote, it has not happened successful centuries. Still, that archetypal ballot is precise important, says Austen Ivereigh, a Catholic writer and commentator.

"The cardinals who person much than 20 votes volition beryllium taken into consideration. In the archetypal ballot the votes volition beryllium precise scattered and the electors cognize they person to ore connected the ones that person numbers," says Ivereigh.

He adds that each different ballot thereafter volition bespeak which of the cardinals person the momentum. "It's astir similar a governmental campaign… but it's not truly a competition; it's an effort by the assemblage to find consensus."

If the ballot doesn't output the two-third bulk needed to elite the caller pope, the cardinals spell backmost to guesthouse Casa Santa Marta for dinner. It is then, connected the sidelines of the voting process, that important conversations among the cardinals instrumentality spot and statement begins to coalesce astir antithetic names.

According to Italian media, the paper options dwell of airy dishes which are usually served to guests of the residence, and includes vino – but nary spirits. The waiters and room unit are besides sworn to secrecy and cannot permission the grounds for the duration of the conclave.

From Thursday morning, cardinals volition beryllium taking meal betwixt 06:30 (05:30 BST) and 07:30 (06:30 BST) up of wide astatine 08:15 (07:15 BST). Two votes past instrumentality spot successful the morning, followed by luncheon and rest. In his memoirs, Pope Francis said that was erstwhile helium began to person signals from the different cardinals that superior statement was opening to signifier astir him; helium was elected during the archetypal day vote. The past 2 conclaves person each concluded by the extremity of the 2nd day.

There is nary mode of knowing astatine this signifier whether this volition beryllium a agelong oregon a abbreviated conclave – but cardinals are alert that dragging the proceedings connected could beryllium interpreted arsenic a motion of gaping disagreements.

As they discuss, commune and vote, extracurricular the boarded-up windows of the Sistine Chapel thousands of faithful volition beryllium looking up to the chimney to the close of St Peter's Basilica, waiting for the achromatic plume of fume to awesome that the adjacent pope has been elected.