Cardinals from across the globe gather to vote for next pontiff

 Cardinals from across the globe gather to vote for next pontiff

Cardinals from across the world are gathering in Rome to elect the next pontiff following the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday.

We don’t know how long this process will take — previous conclaves have lasted only a few days, though in earlier centuries disagreements sometimes caused the meetings to stretch on for months.

Cardinals will take part in a Mass at St Peter's Basilica this morning and will later walk to the Sistine Chapel to cast their votes under Michelangelo's frescoes.

Once they enter the chapel, they will have no communication with the outside world until a new pope is elected.

Then we wait for smoke to emerge from the chapel’s chimney. If it's black, there will be more rounds of voting tomorrow. White smoke signals that a new pope has been chosen.

We'll take you through the day and will later, of course, be on the look out for the first signs of smoke. So stick with us.