By Nkiruka Nnorom with agency reports

A total of 133 cardinals electors taking part in the conclave, the highly secretive election to pick a successor to Pope Francis, who died last month after a 12-year papacy, were admitted to the Sistine Chapel yesterday, according to a live video broadcast by the Vatican.

This marks the beginning of the process for the election of a new pope, which is expected to end in few days.

At approximately 17:45 (1545 GMT), the master of ceremonies, Diego Ravelli, shut the heavy doors from the inside of the famous chapel after calling out in a solemn voice the Latin phrase “Extra Omnes”, meaning “Everybody out”, ordering all those not involved in the vote to leave.

The centuries-old ritual, which is expected to last several days, comes just over a fortnight after the death of Pope Francis.

The cardinal electors had earlier gathered in the nearby Pauline Chapel in silent prayer before proceeding to the 15th-century Sistine Chapel, where tables and chairs have been laid out beneath Michelangelo’s frescoes.

They took a group oath of secrecy before each cardinal approached the altar to utter his personal vow in front of the Italian master’s depiction of the Last Judgement, when Christians believe God will return to decide who goes to heaven or hell.

According to a live video feed produced by the Vatican, they took a vow not to reveal what happened in the conclave, on pain of excommunication.

The conclave is the largest and the most international ever, with cardinals from around 70 countries, many of whom did not know each other before being summoned to Rome following Francis’s death.

There is no clear frontrunner to succeed the charismatic Francis, with the cardinals representing a range of progressive and conservative traditions within the Church.

Challenges before the new pope

But the challenges facing the 2,000-year-old institution are clear.

The new pope faces diplomatic balancing acts at a time of geopolitical uncertainty, as well as deep splits within the Church itself. There is also the continued fall-out from the clerical child abuse scandal and in the West, and increasingly empty pews.

Top contenders

Electors will need to consider the priorities of the church and the profile of the next candidate. They will also need to consider whether the next pope should continue the reforms started by Francis or take a different direction.

They will be looking for someone able to lead a global church and offer credible moral leadership on the world stage. Some see the church’s future as lying in Asia, which has led to speculation the next pope could be from South-East Asia.

Among the top contenders are: Fridolin Cardinal Ambongo Besungu, Archbishop of Kinshasa, 65, from DR Congo, Africa. There is also Pietro Cardinal Parolin, Holy See Secretary of State, aged 70 from Italy, a skilled diplomat. Matteo Cardinal Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna, 69, from Italy, is also a strong contender. Another visible prince of the church is Pablo Cardinal Virgilio Siongco David, Bishop of Kalookan, aged 66, from Philippines. Also from the Philippines is Luis Cardinal Antonio Tagle, 67, leader of the Vatican office for evangelization.

Others are Gérald Cardinal Cyprien Lacroix, Archbishop of Quebec, 67, from Canada, Joseph Cardinal Tobin, 72, Archbishop of Newark, United States; Robert Cardinal Prevost. 69, Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Bishops, from the USA; Tarcisius Cardinal Isao Kikuchi, 66 Archbishop of Tokyo; Michael Cardinal Czerny, 78, leader of the Vatican’s social justice office, from Canada; Cristóbal Cardinal López Romero, 72, Archbishop of Rabat, Morocco, from Spain; and Jean-Claude Cardinal Hollerich, 66, Archbishop of Luxembourg.

Other visible princes of the church are Péter Cardinal ErdQ, 72, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest; Christophe Cardinal Pierre, 79, Papal ambassador to the United States, from France; Mario Cardinal Grech, 68, the Maltese leader of the church’s synod office, Stephen Cardinal Chow, 65, the Bishop of Hong Kong and Italian cardinal, Pierbattista Pizzaballa. More include Jean-Marc Cardinal Aveline of France; and Brazilian cardinal, Jaime Spengler, 64.

Cardinal electors

Of the 135 eligible cardinals, 133 will participate in the conclave. Of the cardinal electors, five were appointed by John Paul II, 22 by Benedict XVI and 108 by Francis.

There are 133 cardinals with voting rights, representing 71 countries, making this the most multicultural conclave to date. In terms of geographic distribution, 53 are from Europe, 23 from Asia, 18 from Africa, 68 from the Americas (16 from North America, 4 from Central America and 17 from South America) and 4 from Oceania.

Italy has 17 cardinal electors, the United States with 10, Brazil with seven, Spain and France with five, India, Argentina, Canada, Portugal and Poland with four.

Two cardinals will not attend the conclave due to illness, the Spanish Antonio Cañizares and the Kenyan John Njue. Bosnian Cardinal Vilko Pulji will vote from his room at the Casa Santa Marta, due to his delicate health condition.