The cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church began entering the Sistine Chapel in procession on Wednesday around 4:30 p.m., where they will elect the next pope.
In a ritual dating back to the Middle Ages, 133 cardinals slowly filed from the Pauline Chapel into the Sistine Chapel, accompanied by litanies of saints. There they will take an oath of eternal secrecy before Michelangelo's "Last Judgment."
The conclave will begin when papal master of ceremonies Diego Ravelli shouts "Extra omnes" (everyone out) and locks the doors behind him.
There will be only one vote on Wednesday. After that, there could be up to four a day.
No pope has been elected on the first day of a conclave for centuries, so even today, white smoke is not expected above the Sistine Chapel.
Photo: EPA/VATICAN MEDIA HANDOUT
