Following the death of Pope Francis, the College of Cardinals are set to begin the process to elect the next Bishop of Rome. Set for Wednesday - May 7, the papal conclave will be held behind closed doors in the Sistine Chapel.
With the death of Pope Francis, the position of the Bishop of Rome and the head of the worldwide Catholic Church stands empty.
Following the death of Pope Francis, the College of Cardinals are set to begin the process to elect the next Bishop of Rome. Set for Wednesday - May 7, the papal conclave will be held behind closed doors in the Sistine Chapel.
Pope Francis, who was elected in 2013, passed away on Easter Monday (April 21) at the age of 88 due to a stroke. With his death, the position of the Bishop of Rome and the head of the worldwide Catholic Church stands empty.
Following the Pope's funeral and the nine days of mourning, 133 Cardinals from across the world arrived in Vatican City to begin the process of the papal conclave.
The 133 Cardinals hail from 70 countries across five continents, marking the most diverse college of Cardinals in the 2000-year history of the Catholic Church.
As the conclave begins, the cardinals will be cut off from the external world with the Vatican blocking all mobile networks.
As per a CNN report, special signal jammers will be used around the Sistine Chapel to ensure full privacy during the election. As per a spokesperson from the Vatican, all cardinals will also hand in their phones and electronic devices to ensure the sanctity of the procedure.
The conclave refers to the gathering do the College of Cardinals to elect the next Bishop of Rome and Pope of the Catholic Church.
In the Roman Catholic Church, the papal conclave is a closed-door gathering. The current procedure is based on the 1996 apostolic constitution Universi Dominici Gregis, which was issued by Pope John Paul II, and later amended by Pope Benedict XVI.
On the first day of the process, a public mass will be lead by the dean of the College of Cardinals, which seeks the Holy Spirit to guide the church while choosing the next pope.
After this, the cardinals then gather in the Pauline Chapel near the Sistine Chapel to chant the Litany of the Saints - which is an ancient prayer which names the saints in the roll call order.
The cardinals then chant Veni Creator Spiritus and process into the Sistine Chapel. Once inside, the cardinals take an oath of secrecy and the phrase "Extra Omnes" (everyone out) is declared to seal the chapel.
The process to choose the next pope begins, and all cardinals under the age of 80 are allowed to vote.
Voting throughout the papal conclave process takes place multiple times. After the first day, voting occurs for a maximum of four times. After reach round, the ballots are burned.
In case a pope is not elected in the first four days of the conclave, voting is suspended for the next day, paving the way for prayer, reflection and informal discussions.
As this voting process takes place, the outside world is notified through the smoke from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel. Black smoke from the chimney means no pope has been chosen.
White smoke through the chimney signals at the Catholic Church has a new pope.
While the papal conclave can carry one for days or even weeks, the last conclaves in 2005 and 2013 were wrapped up by the end of the second day of voting.