The cardinals have gathered in Vatican City to choose the 267th pope. St Peter, regarded as the first pope, was elected around 30AD. In the morning, cardinals will take part in a mass in St Peter’s Basilica. Later, in the afternoon, the cardinals will walk in a procession along the Via delle Fondamenta to the Sistine Chapel.

One hundred and thirty-three cardinals are sequestering themselves behind the Vatican’s medieval walls for the start of a conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis.

With all the pomp, drama and solemnity that the Catholic Church can muster, 133 Catholic cardinals are beginning the secretive, centuries-old ritual to elect a new pope, opening the most geographically diverse conclave in history to find a successor to Pope Francis.