At the Vatican, the doors of the Sistine Chapel have been closed, signaling the start of the conclave to choose the next pope.



Ballots will be cast by cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church tasked with electing the successor to Pope Francis, who died on April 21.



The cardinals from around the world were locked inside the chapel at around 5:45 p.m. local time on Wednesday.



They will cast votes once that day. From there onward, voting will take place twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon until a candidate secures a two-thirds majority.



If a new pope is not decided, black smoke will emerge from the chapel's chimney. If one is elected, the smoke will be white.



It is extremely rare for a new pope to be elected in the first round of voting. Commanding attention is which part of the world the new leader represents, as the cardinals are from increasingly diverse regions, including Asia, Central and South America and Africa.