Over 130 elector cardinals from around the globe gathered in the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday to vote for the successor to Pope Francis.
∎ The solemn procession of cardinals moved slowly into the iconic chapel chanting "Litany of the Saints." The cardinals each recited an oath pledging to follow the rules of the conclave.
∎ When the doors finally closed, the cardinals went into seclusion for the first round of voting.
∎ The secretive process is expected to take multiple days and will result in new leadership for the world's 1.4 billion Roman Catholics.
The electors have been banned since medieval times from communicating with outsiders during conclaves. In keeping with current times, the Vatican has taken high-tech measures to ensure secrecy, including the use of jamming devices.
Earlier Wednesday, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, presided over the group's Mass for the Election of the Roman Pontiff at St. Peter's Basilica. He called for unity in faith and prayer and said the new pope is facing a "difficult, complex and troubled turning point in history."
Cardinal Robert McElroy, archbishop of Washington, D.C., called the conclave process "profound and mysterious," and said of any possible favorites to succeed Francis: "I can give you no insights into who is ahead.''
More than 200 of the 266 popes were natives of Italy, although it's been 47 years since an Italian served as pontiff. Francis was the first from Latin America; there have been none hailing from the U.S. Numerous cardinals from Italy and other nations are considered contenders.
It has been centuries since a candidate emerged with the two-thirds majority required to become pope on the first ballot. The cardinals can vote only once on Wednesday, then likely will need to reconvene Thursday morning. A Mass will be celebrated in the Pauline Chapel before they return to the Sistine Chapel for midmorning prayer and that day's rounds of voting. Up to four rounds of voting are permitted each day.
At the conclusion of Thursday's voting, there will an evening prayer before they return to Santa Marta. If the votes failed to result in someone receiving a two-thirds majority, they will return for more voting Friday − and as many days as is required to elect a pontiff.
After a cardinal receives the required number of votes and agrees to take on the monumental task, white smoke will signal his selection.
Some of the cardinals frequently mentioned as candidates to succeed Francis include non-Italians Luis Antonio Tagle, 67, of the Philippines, a liberal sometimes referred to as "Francis 2," and Peter Erdo, 72, of Hungary, who is considered a favorite among the more conservative cardinals.
There have been 266 popes, and 217 of the have been Italian. Italy has strong contenders this time, too, including top contender Pietro Parolin, 70, the Vatican Secretary of State who is considered a moderate, and Matteo Zuppi, 69, a close associate of Francis.
One round of voting is expected Wednesday, then up to four rounds of voting can take place each subsequent day. There is no set time limit for the conclave, but recent conclaves have lasted only a few days. Since 1846, cardinals have taken two to five days to make decisions on the past 12 popes.
The Rev. Patrick Flanagan, associate professor of theology and religious studies at St. John's University in New York, says Gregory X made it clear that conclaves should be focused − and expeditious.
"According to the original prescription, if a pope had not been elected after three days, a cardinal was restricted to one dish at their meals," Flanagan said. "After eight days, only bread, wine and water!"
After Pope Clement IV died in November 1268, cardinals met in Viterbo, Italy, about 68 miles from Rome, to vote on a successor. The papacy was vacant for almost three years as disagreements dragged on. Frustrated citizens of Viterbo finally locked the cardinals in the Episcopal Palace and "even removed the roof to expose them to the elements, hoping to expedite the decision-making process," according to ucatholic.com.
The eventual winner, Gregory X, tightened up conclave rules. The longest conclave in modern times, in 1903, ended when Pope Pius X was chosen after five days.
The first thing the new pope will do is choose a name. In the history of the papacy, the most commonly used name has been John, first chosen in 523 by Saint John I, the Vatican says. The last pope to choose that name was Italian Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, elected Pope John XXIII, in 1958. Roncalli was proclaimed a saint by Pope Francis in 2014.
Other frequently used names include Gregory, in honor of Pope Gregory I, commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great (590-604). The last to use that name was Gregory XVI in 1831. Benedict which was chosen 16 times, including by Francis' predecessor, Joseph Ratzinger, in 2005.
Other popular pope names include Clement, Innocent, Leo, and Pius. Seven of 11 popes from 1775 to 1958 were named Pius, from Pius VI (1775-1799) to Pius XII (1939-1958).
The Swiss Guard, the pope's iconic bodyguards, are protecting the Sistine Chapel as cardinals assemble to elect a new pope. They look ceremonial in their Renaissance-style uniforms that serve as homage to the epic last stand the guards once made to defend a pope. It's a declaration that they are willing to do so again, according to Bry Jensen, a historian and host of a podcast about the papacy.
In 1527, renegade soldiers from the Holy Roman Empire were indignant over not being paid and attacked Rome. The attack came amid burgeoning anti-church sentiment in Europe.
"147 of the 189 Swiss Guards including their commander died to give Pope Clement VII time enough to escape," Jensen, host of the Pontifacts show, told USA TODAY. Read more here.
Here are the specifics of the voting process, according to the Vatican:
Each cardinal writes the name of their chosen candidate on a ballot, folds it, holds it aloft and carries it to the altar in order of rank. The cardinal places the ballot on a plate covering a chalice and says, in Italian: "I call as my witness Christ the Lord, who will be my judge, that my vote is given to the one whom I believe should be elected according to God."
The cardinal then uses the plate to drop the vote into the chalice, bows to the altar and returns to his seat. Cardinals who are unable to walk give their folded ballot to a "scrutineer," who follows the same procedure without reciting the oath again.
Any cardinals who are too ill to be in the chapel are given ballots and a sealed box with a slit where the folded ballots can be inserted. Once the votes are cast, the "infirmarii" bring the box back to the chapel, where it is opened in front of the electors. The votes are counted and added to those already in the main chalice.
After all votes have been cast, one of three scrutineers shakes the chalice to mix the ballots. Another scrutineer then counts them, transferring them into an empty container. If the number of ballots doesn't match the number of voters, all ballots are burned and a new vote is held immediately. If the count is correct, the ballots are opened and read.
The scrutineers sit at a table before the altar. The first reads the name written on a ballot and passes it to the second, who confirms the name and hands it to the third, who reads it aloud for everyone to hear and records the vote.
Once all ballots have been read and the votes