Inside the conclave: How Pope Francis' successor is chosen

In a moment charged with history, secrecy, and global significance, the Catholic Church prepares to elect a new pope through a ritual as ancient as it is consequential, writes Mathew Schmalz.

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With the death of Pope Francis, attention now turns to the selection of his successor.

The next pope will be chosen in what is called a "conclave," a Latin word meaning "a room that can be locked up," or, more simply, "a closed room."

Members of the College of Cardinals will cast their votes behind the closed and locked doors of the Vatican's Sistine Chapel, famous for its ceiling frescoes painted by Michelangelo.

Distinguished by their scarlet robes, cardinals are chosen by each pope to elect future popes. A cardinal must be under the age of 80 to be eligible to vote in the conclave.

Of the 252 members of the College of Cardinals, 138 are currently eligible to elect the new pope.

As a scholar of global Catholicism, I am especially interested in how this will be the most diverse conclave in the history of the Catholic Church.