Papal conclave begins as Sistine Chapel doors close

133 cardinals from 70 nations will vote for new leader of Catholic Church

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WITH the cry of "Extra omnes" — Latin for "all out" — the great doors of the Sistine Chapel closed 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.