One hundred and thirty-three cardinals from around celebrated Mass in the Vatican on Wednesday, ahead of the conclave to elect a new Pope who will lead the 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide.
The cardinal leading the Mass held at St. Peter’s Basilica before the conclave, Giovanni Battista Re, has called on his peers to choose a leader who can guide the Catholic Church during what he calls a “difficult and complex” point in time.
“This is a strong call to maintain the unity of the church… a unity that does not mean uniformity, but a firm and profound communion in diversity,” he said during Mass.
Re, who is 91, is too old to vote in the conclave. Voters need to be under the age of 80.
He emphasised that the vote was of “exceptional importance” and that cardinals needed to set aside “every personal consideration”.
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Later today, the cardinals will walk to the Sistine Chapel to cast their votes beneath the famous Renaissance frescoes.
Once cardinals enter the chapel, around 17:30 local time (16:30 BST), they will have no communication with the outside world until a new Pope is elected.
This marks the beginning of the conclave. After the first vote later today, smoke will emerge from the Sistine Chapel chimney.
Black smoke means more voting will take place tomorrow, while white smoke means a new Pope has been chosen.
A breakdown of the number of cardinals by continent shows that Europe has 114, followed by Asia with 37, South America has 32, while Africa has 29 cardinals.
North America comes next with 28 cardinals, Central America has eight, and Oceania with the least number has four cardinals.
