Spanish
Vatican City. – The conclave to elect the successor of the late Pope Francis begins this Wednesday, with a mass in which the 133 cardinal electors will meet before locking themselves in the Sistine Chapel to begin the voting.
The day will begin with the Mass 'Pro Eligendo Pontifice' at 10:00 local time (8:00 GMT) in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, presided over by Cardinal Dean Giovanni Battista Re.
Read more: What is the conclave?
Then, in the afternoon, the 133 cardinals entitled to vote, being under 80 years old, have been summoned at 16.15 local time (14.15 GMT) in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace.
Next, they will parade, intoning the litanies and the 'Veni Creator' chant of invocation of the Holy Spirit until their confinement in the Sistine Chapel, scheduled a quarter of an hour later.
The cardinals will enter this monumental chapel and, after the oath on the Gospel, the master of ceremonies, Diego Ravelli, will expel from the place anyone not belonging to the conclave with the Latin formula ‘Extra Omnes’ (everyone out) and will close its doors.
The cardinals will vote in the Sistine Chapel, isolated and behind closed doors, and the first scrutiny and the first 'fumata' (smoke) are expected on the afternoon of this Wednesday.
The result of each vote is communicated to the outside world with the smoke from the chimney placed on top of the chapel: if it is white, it will mean that a new pope has been elected; if it is black, it means that there has been no agreement and the conclave will continue.
The cardinals will vote locked in the Sistine Chapel four times a day - twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon - and at night they will sleep in the Casa Santa Marta and another nearby building, without being able to leave the Vatican territory or communicate with anyone outside.
