Election of the new Pope: what is happening today at the conclave in the Vatican and when to expect smoke from the chimney

135 cardinals from different corners of the planet gathered in Rome on Wednesday to participate in the conclave, where a new head of the Roman Catholic Church will be elected. This follows the death of Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21, Easter Monday.

Throughout history, the duration of conclaves has varied greatly - from several days to months, depending on disagreements among cardinals regarding candidates for the Holy See. In recent decades, the process has become faster, and although theoretically a new pontiff could be chosen today, experts consider such an outcome unlikely.

The current conclave is the largest in Church history: 135 cardinals are participating. Although the College of Cardinals consists of 252 people, only those who have not yet turned 80 years old have the right to vote. The youngest participant is 45-year-old Bishop Mykola Bychok from Melbourne, who comes from a Ukrainian family.

In the morning, the cardinals celebrated a solemn Mass at St. Peter's Basilica, after which they processed to the Sistine Chapel, where secret voting will take place. From this moment, any connection with the outside world will be cut off. The result of the vote will be announced by smoke from the chapel's chimney: white - if a pope is elected, black - if no agreement is reached and the process will continue the next day.

16:30 - cardinals will head to the Sistine Chapel. Only attendants responsible for preparing the space for a possible multi-day stay will enter with them.

17:30 - the chapel will be completely closed to outsiders. The famous phrase "extra omnes" (everyone else - out) will mark the official beginning of isolation and the start of the conclave.

19:00 - the first round of voting will end, after which the first smoke will rise from the chimney.

If the pontiff is not elected on the first day, the cardinals will go to dinner at Domus Santa Marta - a residence near St. Peter's Basilica. According to many observers, informal communication at the table often plays a decisive role in forming coalitions and selecting a candidate.

For one of the candidates to be elected, he must receive two-thirds of the votes plus one. Typically, after the first round, it becomes clear who is among the main favorites.

The next day, Wednesday, the conclave will continue. Cardinals will have breakfast at 6:30, then at 8:15 another Mass will be held, after which a new stage of voting will begin.

Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, who led the Mass before the conclave began, addressed the participants with a call to choose a leader capable of guiding the Church through difficult times:

"It is indeed a difficult mission - to maintain the unity of the Church, not reducing it to uniformity, but building on 'deep agreement in diversity'."

Although Cardinal Re is