On Wednesday evening, under the domed ceiling of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, 133 cardinals will vote to elect the Catholic Church's 267th pope. The service, which will be televised, will be presided over by Giovanni Battista Re, the 91-year-old Cardinal Dean who was also the celebrant of Pope Francis' funeral. Around 16:15 (15:15 BST), the 133 cardinal electors will gather in the Pauline Chapel and form a procession to the Sistine Chapel. The moment "extra omnes" is pronounced marks the start of the cardinals' isolation – and the start of the conclave. Getty Images Pope Francis died at the age of 88 on Easter Monday 2025