© Photo: Maria Novoselova/ Vestnik Kavkaza
A conclave, a closed assembly of cardinals, to elect a new Pope has started in the Vatican. Each of its 133 participants can lay claim to the Papal throne.
The conclave began on Wednesday evening in the Vatican, its participants will choose a new Pope.
133 cardinal electors, no older than 80, are currently locked in the Sistine Chapel. Until the name of the head of the Roman Catholic Church is known, the cardinals are prohibited from contacting the outside world.
The process is observed by the faithful, who have gathered in St. Peter's Square to see the white smoke from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, which serves as a sign that the Pope has been elected.
