Conclave live: First vote to decide the next Pope set to take place today

Each cardinal writes his choice on a paper inscribed with the words “Eligo in summen pontificem” — “I elect as Supreme Pontiff.”

They approach the altar one by one and say: “I call as my witness, Christ the Lord who will be my judge, that my vote is given to the one who, before God, I think should be elected.”

The folded ballot is placed on a round plate and tipped into an oval silver and gold urn. Once cast, the ballots are opened one by one by three different “scrutineers,” cardinals selected at random who write down the names and read them aloud.

Cardinals can keep their own tally on a sheet of paper provided but must turn their notes in to be burned at the end of voting.

The scrutineers, whose work is checked by other cardinals called revisors, then add up the results of each round of balloting and write the results down on a separate sheet of paper, which is preserved in the papal archives.

As the scrutineer reads out each name, he pierces each ballot with a needle through the word “Eligo” and binds them with thread and ties a knot.

The ballots are then put aside and burned in the chapel stove along with a chemical to produce either black smoke to signal no winner, or white smoke to announce that a new pope has been elected.

The cardinals begin by participating in a final pre-conclave Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.

The dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, celebrates the Mass, which is meant to pray for cardinals to find the wisdom, counsel and understanding to elect a worthy new shepherd.

Re, 91, had presided at Francis’ funeral, delivering a heartfelt sermon recalling history’s first Latin American pope and the reforming 12-year papacy he oversaw.

At 4.30pm local time (3.30pm GMT) the cardinals walk solemnly into the frescoed Sistine Chapel, chanting the meditative “Litany of the Saints” and the Latin hymn “Veni Creator,” imploring the saints and the Holy Spirit to help them pick a pope.

Once there, they pledge to maintain secrecy about what is about to transpire and to not allow “any interference, opposition or any other form of intervention” from outsiders to influence their voting.

Standing before Michelangelo’s vision of heaven and hell in “The Last Judgment,” each cardinal places his hand on the Gospel and swears to carry out that duty “so help me God and these Holy Gospels, which I touch with my hand.”

After that, the retired preacher of the papal household, Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, delivers a meditation.

The master of papal liturgical ceremonies, Archbishop Diego Ravelli, calls out “Extra omnes,” Latin for “all out.”

Anyone not eligible to vote then leaves and the chapel doors close, allowing the work to begin.

Cardinals gathering today to elect a new pope have some serious, fundamental questions to weigh.

Should the Catholic Church have its first Asian or African pontiff? Should they be progressive, like Pope Francis, or a conservative?

But beyond those questions, the 133 cardinals from 70 countries must elect someone who can make the 2,000-year-old church relevant, and manage the sexual abuse and finance scandals that have turned people away from the church across the world.

“We need a superman!” said Cardinal William Seng Chye Goh, the 67-year-old archbishop of Singapore.

Workers installed a small stove and chimney in the Sistine Chapel ahead of the conclave.

The chimney holds a crucial role in the conclave, signalling to watchers outside whether or not a pope has been elected.

If there is black smoke, cardinals are still deciding, but if there is white smoke, it means a new pope has been chosen.

Several favourites have emerged to succeed Pope Francis – but there is plenty of uncertainty around who will garner enough support to become the next pope.

Many of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics are keenly awaiting the result of the Papal Conclave.

Associated Press spoke to nine Catholics, from South America to Africa and the United States, to understand what they hope to see in the next pope.

Pope Francis accomplished a lot in his 12 years at the head of the church, but plenty of difficult work remains for his successor.

Here are some of those key challenges facing the next pope.

Just over a week ago, hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Rome and the Vatican to farewell the much-loved Pope Francis.

Here are the key moments from that historic funeral.

On Wednesday in the Sistine Chapel, 133 cardinals will take a solemn vow of secrecy before the conclave begins.

The punishment for breaching that oath is excommunication.

It follows the oaths taken on Monday by the hundred-or-so support staff tasked with keeping the cardinals fed, their rooms clean and transporting them to and from the Sistine Chapel.

In that ceremony, staff from clerics and confessors to drivers, cooks and cleaners took oaths of secrecy at the Pauline Chapel in the Vatican.

From 1,000-day standoffs and personal hygiene challenges, here are some fun facts about conclaves past based on historical studies and interviews with experts.