Conclave begins as locking of Sistine Chapel signals formal start to process to elect new pope – live

Doors to the Sistine Chapel have been closed and first vote expected to be taken today

• Who will be the next pope? Potential candidates
• Papal in-tray: new pontiff will have to hit ground running
• How does the conclave work?

If you’d rather get up to date on the pomp and the politics of the conclave, the process to elect Pope Francis’s successor, good news: we’ve got you covered.

It is, as Guardian journalist Harriet Sherwood explains, an election rich in ceremony and ritual. Yet it can get very dirty too: cardinals lobbying in corridors and Vatican gardens; allegations of leaks to the media to discredit rivals; even the emergence of a video of one cardinal – a bookies’ favourite to be the next pope – singing ‘atheist anthem’ Imagine by John Lennon.

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