“One of the most secret and mysterious events in the world” begins in Vatican City as cardinals enter the conclave to elect a new pope.
Cardinals from across five continents gathered in St Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday for a final mass before entering the closely guarded conclave to elect the next leader of the Catholic Church.
A total of 133 eligible cardinal electors, all under age 80, will choose a successor to Pope Francis, who died last month after a 12-year papacy. The conclave, taking place in the Sistine Chapel, remains “one of the most secret and mysterious events in the world,” according to the Vatican.
Representing around 70 countries and a wide spectrum of Church ideologies, the cardinals will require at least 89 votes — a two-thirds majority — to elect the new pope.
The mass was presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals. The cardinals are lodged in the Vatican’s Santa Marta guesthouse and its adjoining building.
While the last two popes were chosen within two days, the Church’s longest election lasted 1,006 days.