After the death of Pope Francis at the age of 88 and his burial, cardinals from around the world will gather at the Vatican to elect his successor in a secretive centuries-old process known as a conclave.
But where do these cardinals come from and will the changing geopolitics of the Roman Catholic Church affect the vote?
Who has the right to vote?
Currently, 252 cardinals make up the College of Cardinals, of whom 135 are under the age of 80 and therefore have the right to vote for a new pope.
This is the largest number of voting cardinals in the history of the Catholic Church.
Cardinals are senior members of the clergy of the Catholic Church and are usually ordained bishops.
Pope Francis appointed the vast majority of the cardinals of voting age, 108 of them, while the rest were chosen by his predecessors. Benedict XVI and Saint John Paul II.
Some Vatican experts argue that Pope Francis, the first Latin American pope and the first non-European pontiff since the 8th century, consciously filled the choir in an attempt to ensure the continuation of his more progressive and inclusive legacy.
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The changing church
The geographical representation of the choir has changed during the twelve-year pontificate of Pope Francis.
For the first time in history, Europeans no longer make up the majority of cardinals of voting age; they now make up 39 percent of voting cardinals, down from 52 percent in 2013.
Among the 108 voting cardinals appointed by Pope Francis, 38 percent come from Europe, 19 percent from Latin America and the Caribbean, 19 percent from the Asia-Pacific region, 12 percent from sub-Saharan Africa, seven percent from North America, and four percent from the Middle East and North Africa.
The total number of non-Europeans is 73.
This shift towards a more global Catholic Church is a trend that began in the 19th century, says Dr. Miles Pattenden, a historian of the Catholic Church at the University of Oxford.
Before that, cardinals were almost exclusively European and mostly Italian.
Pattenden says Pope Francis believed that the Choir should be as representative as possible of all Catholic communities, no matter how small.
This explains why appointments were made in countries such as Mongolia, Algeria and Iran during his papacy instead of Ireland or Australia, explains Pattenden.
Does geography affect voting?
In public, the cardinals will say that geography does not influence their decision, but in practice it is very likely a factor, Pattenden points out.
He says many southern cardinals privately believe the time has come for another pope from their region, especially from Asia or Africa, while many Europeans, especially Italians, believe the papacy should return to their midst.
There is also a division between cardinals who live in Rome, where the Vatican is located, and those who do not.
Many Italian cardinals have worked much longer alongside each other than with their southern counterparts, Pattenden notes, and are more likely to vote as a cohesive bloc.
Political ideology will also play an important role in voting.
"For example, a lot of Latin American cardinals are quite progressive," says Pattenden.
"They are very different from African cardinals, who are generally quite conservative, and alliances are formed by geographical affiliation."
How to vote
During the conclave, the cardinals were cut off from the outside world and denied access to telephones, the internet and newspapers.
They stay at the Casa Santa Marta, a five-story guesthouse in Vatican City, and walk every day to the Sistine Chapel, where the voting takes place in secret.
Each cardinal writes his own choice on a piece of paper and places it in a large silver-gilt urn.
The winner needs a two-thirds majority to be elected.
While all this is happening, Catholics wait in nearby St. Peter's Square, watching the legendary smoke rise from the Sistine Chapel chimney: black smoke means no decision has been made, and white means a new pope has been elected.
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The new pope, who must formally accept the role in front of the College of Cardinals, usually appears on the balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square within an hour of his election.
The longest conclave in history lasted two years and nine months, beginning in 1268, but in recent times they have been much shorter, averaging three days since the early 20th century.
Pope Francis and his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI, who died on the last day of 2022, were elected in just two days.
No clear favorite
Since Francis's death, many names have been suggested as potential successors - from candidates from Italy to Canada and Ghana to the Philippines.
Pattenden says that discussions among the cardinals have already begun to see if there is support for one or two candidates.
However, he says, the outcome is difficult to predict.
"Unlike the election of the leadership of a political party, where securing the required number of votes guarantees victory, this process involves more than simple majority rule," he says.
"There is a feeling that the Church has to reach a certain degree of agreement through consensus, which means it is important not to alienate minorities."
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