In pursuit of white smoke How 135 cardinals will vote in secret for the next leader

The next pope will be chosen by the College of Cardinals, the Catholic Church's most senior figures appointed by the pontiff, who will make their way to Rome in the next few days for the conclave.

- Harriet Sherwood

The next pope will be chosen by the College of Cardinals, the Catholic Church's most senior figures appointed by the pontiff, who will make their way to Rome in the next few days for the conclave. The name comes from the Latin 'cum clave', meaning "with key", indicating the closed process of electing a pope.

There are more than 250 cardinals from more than 90 countries, but only 135 are cardinal electors (those over the age of 80 are excluded). About two-thirds of the cardinal electors have been chosen by Francis in the past 10 years and largely reflect his vision of a more inclusive church.