Cardinals Enter Sistine Chapel To Elect New Pope

The Cardinals have all entered the Sistine Chapel to elect who will be the next Pope. At this point, all we can do is wait for the smoke to rise to see if they have made a decision. As two Swiss Guards stood at attention outside the heavy wooden doors, the cardinals chanted their oath of secrecy, led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the presiding cardinal.

After the doors closed, they heard a meditation by an elderly Maltese cardinal then in all probability cast their first ballots.

So, when will the new Pope be elected? The first puffs of smoke should emerge from the chapel chimney by 8 p.m. (1900 GMT; 3 p.m. EDT) - that's 2 p.m. CST- black for no pope, white if a pope has been chosen.

After the new Pope is elected, He is immediately taken to the Room of Tears off the Sistine Chapel. There, he will will receive his white cassock before he appears on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica to greet the crowd for the first time. There are three different sizes of cassoks, and 7 different sizes of red leather shoes so that the new Pope elect has clothes and shoes that him.