Secret process to elect Pope Francis successor begins

One hundred and thirty three cardinals will be sealed off from the outside world as they take part in the conclave to elect the next Pope.

The centuries-old secret voting ritual is due to begin this afternoon.

The Pope chosen to take over from Francis will be the 267th pontiff of 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide.

There is no deadline for cardinals to make their decision: Pope Francis was chosen in one day in 2013; while it took three years for Pope Gregory X to be elected in 171.

At 4:30pm this afternoon, members of the College of Cardinals will enter the Sistine Chapel when they are each expected to fulfil the oath Munus Petrinum translated from Latin to mean “the office or mission of Peter” if they are elected pope.

For the actual election, the cardinals take an oath of secrecy and seal the church’s doors. Each cardinal votes by secret ballot.

If one candidate does not receive a two-thirds majority vote, another election is held and the process is repeated until one candidate has received the necessary votes.

When a new pope is elected and accepts his duties, the ballots are burned in a stove, signalling with white soke to the outside world that a new leader of the Roman Catholic Church has been chosen. If a consensus is not reached, the ballots are burned with chemicals to create black smoke, signalling that the voting process will continue.

The first ballot will be cast this evening (Wednesday) with voting then taking place four times daily over the following days, twice in the morning and twice in the evening.

Of the 135 cardinals eligible to vote in this conclave, 133 will attend as two will not be present due to health reasons.