Speculation and secrecy as cardinals gather at the Vatican to elect new pope

Catholic cardinals from all over the world will begin casting their votes for a new pope under Michelangelo's The Last Judgment ceiling fresco in the Sistine Chapel this afternoon in what is the largest and possibly the most unpredictable conclave to ever take place.

- Angela Giuffrida

One of the legacies of Pope Francis, who died last month aged 88, was to leave behind a widely diverse but divided college of cardinals, with some in harmony with the progressive church he promoted and others wanting to overthrow his changes and turn back the clock.

The 133 cardinals with the power to vote have been getting to know each other and sharing visions for the future of the church during daily pre-conclave meetings since 28 April. However, the challenge of the task in hand appeared to be summed up by Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo, the archbishop of Jakarta, who was the last cardinal to arrive and was playing catch-up on Monday. "There's a lot of confusion," he told journalists after hearing addresses from 50 cardinals. "We have heard many voices, it's not easy to draw conclusions."