Cardinals begin Conclave to elect new Pope
Catholic cardinals who will choose the next pope moved into the Sistine Chapel this evening before locking themselves away from the world to elect the man they hope can unite a diverse global Church. In a ritual dating back to medieval times, 133 cardinal electors took an oath of perpetual secrecy under the gaze of the stern Christ depicted in Michelangelo's Last Judgement fresco, which adorns the chapel. They then held their first ballot in search of a successor to Pope Francis, who died last month. Thereafter, there can be as many as four votes a day. Black smoke will mark an inconclusive vote; white smoke and the pealing of bells will signal that the 1.4-billion-member Church has a new leader. Lydia Felly Akulu reports.
