After nine days of mourning on the death of Pope Francis on April 21, 133 cardinals representing 70 countries will meet in camera on Wednesday for the conclave to elect the new head of the Catholic church.
Releasing of the outside world without access to phones or communication, the conclave – The history of the most geographically diverse Catholic Church – will follow seam rituals inside the Sistine Chapel to decide which will direct the 1.4 billion faithful.
The first vote is expected on Wednesday evening. Assuming that no winning is found, the Vatican said that black smoke could be expected from the Sistine Chapel chimney around 7 p.m.
From Thursday, up to two ballots can take place in the morning and two in the afternoon until a winner is found.
While the cardinals said this week that they expected a short conclave, it will probably take at least a few voting cycles.
During the last century, it took between three and eight ballots to find a pope. Pope Jean -Paul I – The pontiff who reigned for 33 days in 1978 – was elected on the third ballot. His successor, Pope John Paul II, needed eight. Pope Francis was elected the fifth in 2013.
Follow our blog live for real -time updates, analyzes and ideas of Euronews journalists through Europe as this historic moment takes place.
