The College of Cardinals, the Church’s most senior officials, will choose the successor of Pope Francis as the conclave begins on Wednesday.
While in theory any baptised Roman Catholic man can be elected pope, every pope since 1379 has been selected from within the Church’s cardinals.
Women are not allowed to become the pope, because they must also be ordained as a priest and bishop – roles which women are not allowed to hold.
During a process called the conclave, the cardinals gather inside the Sistine Chapel to cast their votes in secrecy from the modern world, until one candidate has two-thirds of the votes.
A plume of white smoke from the chapel’s chimney will signal when a decision has been made.
As speculation heats up on who will succeed Pope Francis, ITV News looks at some of the leading contenders, including Luis Antonio Tagle, Pietro Parolin, Matteo Zuppi, and Peter Turkson.
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