More than 130 cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church will start their conclave to elect the next pope on Wednesday in the Vatican.



Ballots will be cast by 133 cardinals to choose a successor to Pope Francis, who died on April 21.



Before the conclave, the cardinals prayed for help in making the choice at a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica.



The cardinals will next enter the Sistine Chapel, where they will be cut off from the outside world. They will cast votes once on Wednesday. Thereafter, 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.



Many followers and tourists from around the world are flocking to St. Peter's Square.



A man with his baby from the United States said he hopes to witness history with his child and receive a blessing.



A woman from the Philippines said she wants to see the first Asian pope elected. She added that she hopes the decision is made by tomorrow, as she needs to return home on Friday.



Western media outlets have mentioned names of potential candidates, including a close aide to Pope Francis.



Election of a new pope in the first round of voting is extremely rare. One focus this time is the new leader's nationality, as the cardinals are from increasingly diverse regions of the world, including Asia, Central and South America and Africa.