Rome: Doors of Sistine Chapel Close, Conclave to Elect New Pope Begins

Francis named 108 of the 133 'princes of the church,' choosing many pastors in his image from far-flung countries like Mongolia, Sweden, and Tonga

- Associated Press

VATICAN CITY: With the cry of "Extra omnes" — Latin for "all out" — the great doors of the Sistine Chapel closed on Wednesday and 133 cardinals began the secretive, centuries-old ritual of electing a new leader of the Catholic Church, opening the most geographically diverse conclave in the faith's 2,000-year history.

The red-robed cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel in pairs, chanting the meditative "Litany of the Saints" as Swiss Guards stood at attention.

The hymn, and the one that followed, implores the saints and the Holy Spirit to help the cardinals find a successor to Pope Francis to lead the 1.4 billion-strong Catholic Church.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the secretary of state under Francis and himself a leading contender to succeed him as pope, assumed the leadership of the proceedings as the senior cardinal under age 80 and eligible to participate in the conclave.

Speaking in Latin, Parolin stood before Michelangelo's vision of heaven and hell, "The Last Judgment," and led the cardinals in a lengthy oath. Each one followed, placing his hand on the Gospel and promising in Latin to maintain utmost secrecy. Outside in St. Peter's Square, hundreds of people watched the proceedings on giant video screens until the Vatican feed cut off.