The evolution of papal elections

CARDINALS electing Pope Francis's successor will have an easier time than many of their predecessors, who endured spartan conditions and were even locked up so long that some of them died.

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Here are some notable papal elections through the ages.

The dove decides

In 236, the Christian community of Rome was debating potential papal candidates when a white dove landed on the head of a bystander, Fabian.

"At this, everyone, as if moved by a single divine inspiration, eagerly and wholeheartedly called out that Fabian was worthy," according to Eusebius, a Church historian of the era.

The blessing was a mixed one for Fabian, who died 14 years later a martyr, persecuted by Emperor Decius.

Large-scale bribery

In the early Church, popes were elected by members of the clergy and the Roman nobility, and the votes were rife with meddling.

One of the most infamous elections was in 532, following the death of Boniface II, which involved "large-scale bribing of royal officials and influential senators", according to PG Maxwell-Stuart in "Chronicle of the Popes".