Voting to pick the 267th pope of the Catholic Church has begun today under the vaulted ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
The day kicked off with a service at St Peter's Basilica at 9am and in the early afternoon, the Vatican's mobile signal was been turned off to keep those participating in the conclave from communicating with the outside world.
The 133 cardinal electors then assembled in the Pauline Chapel at approximately 3:15pm and marched to the Sistine Chapel.
A litany and the song Veni Creator, which is an invocation to the Holy Spirit and is thought to be the guiding hand that will assist cardinals in selecting the next Pope, was sang throughout.
There, the cardinals will take the required oath of secrecy. This prohibits them from ever disclosing the specifics of the new Pope's election..
There will be a meditation once the final elector has taken the oath. "Extra omnes" (meaning "everybody out") will then be announced by Diego Ravelli, the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations.
Although he will have to leave the grounds during the vote-counting process, Ravelli is one of three members of the ecclesiastical personnel who is permitted to remain in the Sistine Chapel despite not being a cardinal elector.
The conclave and the cardinals' seclusion begins when “extra omnes” is announced.
What time are the Conclave voting times?
Soon after ballots are distributed, the Cardinals will move on to the first vote and those with more than 20 votes will be taken into consideration.
Read also: All the cardinals in the running for the Papacy
At around 6pm the first smoke is expected. Black smoke means that no decision has been made, and white smoke means a new pope has been elected.
If no decision is made, two more rounds of voting will take place on Thursday morning after 6:30am and the last two conclaves will have been concluded by the end of the second day.
At this point, it is impossible to predict how long or short the conclave will be, but the cardinals are conscious that prolonging the proceedings could be seen as an indication of deep disputes.
The duration could range from a few hours to several weeks. In the 13th century, the longest conclave in history lasted for two years and nine months. Conclaves have often lasted two or three days since the turn of the 20th century.
Thousands of devotees will be watching the chimney to the right of St Peter's Basilica through the boarded-up windows of the Sistine Chapel while they debate, pray, and cast their votes.
They will be waiting for the white plume of smoke to indicate the election of the new pope.
Read also: How does the Vatican make white smoke?
How to watch the Conclave
The Conclave event is being live streamed by Vatican News, the official news agency of Vatican City on its Youtube channel.
Alternatively, you can check out the Standard’s conclave live blog for the latest updates.
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