The vital role women play in the conclave process
In Vatican City, 133 cardinals have this week begun the highly secretive process to elect a new leader of the global Catholic church, following the death of Pope Francis last month.
The centuries-old conclave ritual will, at some point in the coming days, see a puff of white smoke leak from the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, signalling a new pope has been chosen.
While the conclave might appear an exclusively male affair, women remain excluded in the Catholic church's upper hierarchy - they will play a crucial role in ensuring the role of choosing a new pope runs smoothly.
As the cardinals, the most geographically diverse conclave in the faith's 2,000-year history, prepare to sequester from the outside world, they will be supported throughout by Vatican City insiders, including nuns who help with everything from accommodation to food.
From now until the moment a new leader is elected, the nuns at the Domus Sanctae Marthae, a 100-suite guesthouse in Vatican City that is housing the cardinals in the coming days, will run the tightest of ships when it comes to cooking and cleaning.
Dishes served to sustain the cardinals during the process will be prepared by the nuns, with local Italian dishes from the Lazio and Abruzzo regions likely on the menu.
Italian staples such as spaghetti, minestrone and simple meat dishes such as lamb skewers, known as arrosticini , with vegetables will be prepared for the 133 men, although they won't be allowed napkins for fear of secrets being leaked.
The meals eaten by the cardinals were depicted on several occasions in the film adaptation of Robert Harris' book Conclave.
Isabella Rossellini played Sister Agnes in the film, which scooped best picture at this year's BAFTAs. The kitchen and dining room scenes in the film, also starring Ralph Fiennes, showed the quiet power possessed by the nuns, who enable the conclave to happen without a glitch.
Whoever is elected when the white smoke rises will likely have some historic decisions ahead of them, with Robert Harris saying that allowing women a more prominent role within the Catholic church is likely to be a 'big issue'.
Speaking on Sky's The News Hour with Mark Austin that whoever Pope Francis' successor is, he's likely to face pressure to take a more inclusive approach to women.
He told the programmed: 'In the 21st century, can it really be the case that Christ did not intend half the world's population to play a full role in spreading his word?'
Author Harris also suggested that the papacy's wealth might also face scrutiny, saying the gospel's 'necessity to get rid of all worldly wealth' didn't sit well with Vatican City's pomp and grandeur, saying: 'When I compared that to the reality of the Vatican, it's hard not to be struck by the contrast.
'And in particular, in the 21st century, can it really be the case that Christ did not intend half the world's population to play a full role in spreading his word?'
Cardinals involved in the process have already surrendered their cellphones and will be forbidden from accessing communications until they find a new leader for the 1.4 billion-member church.
Francis named 108 of the 133 'princes of the church,' choosing many pastors in his image from far-flung countries like Mongolia, Sweden and Tonga that had never had a cardinal before.
His decision to surpass the usual limit of 120 cardinal electors and include younger ones from the 'global south' - those often marginalized countries with lower economic clout - has injected an unusual degree of uncertainty in a process that is always full of mystery and suspense.
Many hadn't met one another until last week and lamented they needed more time to get to know one another, raising questions about how long it might take for one man to secure the two-thirds majority, or 89 ballots, necessary to become the 267th pope.
'Wait and see, a little patience, wait and see,' said Cardinal Mario Zenari, the Vatican's ambassador to Syria as he arrived for the final day of pre-vote discussions.
The cardinals begin the day by participating in a final pre-conclave Mass in St. Peter's Basilica. The dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, celebrates the Mass, which is meant to pray for cardinals to find the wisdom, counsel and understanding to elect a worthy new shepherd.
Re, 91, had presided at Francis' funeral, delivering a heartfelt sermon recalling history's first Latin American pope and the reforming 12-year papacy he oversaw.
At 4.30pm local time the cardinals walk solemnly into the frescoed Sistine Chapel, chanting the meditative 'Litany of the Saints' and the Latin hymn 'Veni Creator,' imploring the saints and the Holy Spirit to help them pick a pope.
Once there, they pledge to maintain secrecy about what is about to transpire and to not allow 'any interference, opposition or any other form of intervention' from outsiders to influence their voting.
Standing before Michelangelo's vision of heaven and hell in 'The Last Judgment,' each cardinal places his hand on the Gospel and swears to carry out that duty 'so help me God and these Holy Gospels, which I touch with my hand.'
After the cardinals take their oaths, a senior cardinal delivers a meditation. The master of papal liturgical ceremonies, Archbishop Diego Ravelli, calls out 'Extra omnes,' Latin for 'all out.'
Anyone not eligible to vote then leaves and the chapel doors close, allowing the work to begin.
The cardinals don't have to take a first vote on Wednesday, but they usually do. Assuming no winner is found, the Vatican said black smoke could be expected out of the Sistine Chapel chimney at around 7 p.m.
The cardinals retire for the night and return Thursday morning. They can hold up to two ballots in the morning and two in the afternoon until a winner is found.
While cardinals this week said they expected a short conclave, it will likely take at least a few rounds of voting.
For the past century, it has taken between three and eight ballots to find a pope. John Paul I - the pope who reigned for 33 days in 1978 - was elected on the third ballot. His successor, John Paul II, needed eight. Francis was elected on the fifth in 2013.
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