Cardinals sequestered in Sistine Chapel as papal conclave begins

The conclave to choose the next pope began Wednesday, with cardinals from around the world gathered in the Vatican to partake in the centuries-old tradition. Cardinal electors walked in procession to the Sistine Chapel, chanting a somber Latin hymn, where they swore oaths of secrecy one by one before the doors were sealed, The Washington Post reported.

The cardinals are to remain sequestered, deliberating and casting rounds of votes, until the new leader of the Catholic Church is selected.
 
 When a successor to Pope Francis is chosen by at least a two-thirds majority, a billow of white smoke from a purpose-built chimney will announce the moment to crowds massed in St. Peter’s Square and more than a billion Catholics around the world.