Catholic Cardinals who will take part in the secret conclave to elect a new pope have begun checking into two Vatican guesthouses, where they will be barred from contact with the outside world as they decide who should succeed Pope Francis.
The conclave will start behind the closed doors of the Sistine Chapel tomorrow afternoon, with all cardinals under the age of 80 able to vote on who should be the next pontiff.
The race to succeed Francis, who died last month, is seen as wide open.
Although a few names have been cited as possible front-runners, several of the 133 cardinals expected to vote in the conclave have said they do not know who will become the nex tpope.
"I have no guess," Cardinal Robert McElroy said during a visit to a parish in Rome yesterday evening.
The conclave process is "profound and mysterious," said Cardinal McElroy, the archbishop of Washington, DC. "I can give you no insights into who is ahead," he said.
Some cardinals are looking for a new pope who will continue with Francis' push for a more transparent, welcoming Church, while others are seeking retrenchment to more traditional roots that put a premium on doctrine.
Conclaves are often spread out over several days, with multiple votes held before a contender wins the necessary three-quarters majority to become pope.
During the conclave period, the voting cardinals will stay in two Vatican guesthouses and take an oath to remain out of contact with anyone not participating in the secret vote.
Francis had a priority of appointing cardinals from countries that had never had them before, such as Haiti, South Sudan and Myanmar.
This conclave will be the most geographically diverse in the Church's 2,000-year history, with cardinals from 70 countries taking part.
Japanese Cardinal Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi told La Repubblica newspaper that many of the 23 cardinals from Asia voting in the conclave planned to vote as a block.
He contrasted their strategy with that of the 53 cardinals from Europe, who are known to vote in terms of individual countries or other personal preferences.
"We Asians are probably more unanimous in supporting one or two candidates ... we will see which name will come out as the leading candidate," said Cardinal Kikuchi.
Read More: A guide to the conclave - electing a pope
The cardinal electors - those aged under 80 - and other, older cardinals this morning began the last of their near daily preparatory meetings for the conclave.
Discussions so far have covered everything from the Vatican's finances to the abuse scandal and Church unity, and the profile of the next pope.
Watch: Cardinals arrive at Vatican for congregation meeting ahead of conclave
Franco-Algerian cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco told the Corriere della Sera daily that the meetings, held since Francis's death, have helped bring together a very disparate group.
"We've come from so many countries, many of us had never met before. Finally we have got to know each other," he said.
There are "at least five or six" contenders, he said.
"There were the so-called 'natural' candidates, those already known for their role and personality. And there are those who speak and make you think 'that is strong'.
"But there is no-one who 'trounces' the others, who you think 'he's the one'. Yet it will happen", Cardinal Vesco said.
Francis was an energetic reformer, who helped open up the Church during his 12-year-long papacy, but was accused by critics of failing to defend key Catholic doctrine.
The question now is whether his successor will follow a similar progressive line, or take the Church on a more conservative, traditionalist path.
Francis appointed around 80% of the current cardinal electors, but experts caution they may not choose someone to follow in his footsteps, with many suggesting there could be surprises.
The cardinals are sworn to secrecy, risking excommunication if they reveal what happens in the conclave, and are forbidden from contacting the outside world until they have a decision.
The Vatican announced last night that it would cut the phone signal within the tiny city state from 3pm (2pm Irish time) tomorrow until a new pope is elected - although this will not affect St Peter's Square.
Required to leave their mobile telephones behind when the voting process begins, the cardinals will let the world know their progress by burning their ballots to produce smoke - black for no decision, white for a new pope.
The staff who will support them during the election, from medics to lift operators, canteen and cleaning staff, are also bound to secrecy, and took their own oaths yesterday.
