Choosing a new pope
The death of Pope Francis on April 21 has sparked a search for a new pontiff, a tradition with centuries of tradition. In a few weeks, millions of people around the world will be glued to the news to find out who will be the Roman Catholic Church's next leader, and thus the most influential religious leader in the world.
Article excerpt: "Once Francis is buried, the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, has 15 to 20 days to summon the cardinals to Rome.
Papal conclaves are notoriously difficult to predict because the election process is shrouded in so much secrecy. Once they enter the Sistine Chapel, they must have no communication with the outside world until a new Pope is elected.
There is only one round of voting on the first afternoon of the conclave, but the cardinals will vote up to four times every day afterwards.
A new Pope requires a two-thirds majority - and that can take time.
Each cardinal casts his vote on a simple card that says, in Latin: 'I elect as Supreme Pontiff' to which they add the name of their chosen candidate.
They walk in line, in order of seniority, and place their cards inside the large silver and guilded urn.
Three assistants to the camerlengo, known as the scrutineers, will then count the votes as they are read out loud. All the paper cards are then threaded together and burnt.
Outside the Sistine Chapel the world will be watching for the smoke from the chimney. If the smoke is black, there will be another round of voting. White smoke signals that a new Pope has been chosen.
If the conclave completes its third day without reaching a decision, the cardinals may pause for a day of prayer.
From then on, they may take another break every seven rounds of voting.
If, after 33 rounds, no decision is still made, a run-off will happen between the two most voted candidates - though one of them will still require two-thirds of the vote to be elected Pope."
According to media reports, some of the leading contenders for the next pontiff include:
• Pietro Parolin, 70, Italy
• Luis Antonio Tagle, 67, the Philippines
• Peter Turkson, 76, Ghana
• Péter Erdő, 72, Hungary
• Matteo Zuppi, 69, Italy
• José Tolentino Calaça de Mendonça, 59, Portugal
• Mario Grech, 68, Malta
• Pierbattista Pizzaballa, 60, Italy
• Robert Sarah, 79, Guinea
My money is on Cardinal Tagle of the Philippines. And for some reason, I think Cardinal Zuppi of Italy has a very interesting face and could be a contender. (Highly unscientific, I know.)
"We all have a duty to do good."
- Pope Francis
Read: BBC: How the next Pope is chosen. Related 1: CBC: How a new pope is chosen. Conclave explained (video). Related 2: Who will be the next pope? Some potential candidates to succeed Francis.
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