The next pope will face a “slew of serious problems” when they step into their new role, former BBC Vatican correspondent and papal biographer David Willey told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.

“Finance, paedophile priests, the future role of women in the Church, gender issues,” Willey listed as some of the issues.

He said that although there had been a desire for someone “humble” like Pope Francis, the new leader would also have to be a good “administrator” if he wanted to succeed.

“The future power of the pope who is elected here in Rome, over the next few days, is enormous. It’s something of an anomaly in a world where you have very powerful politicians who pull the strings.

“You also have a humble, religious man who can show equal power in this strange world we’re living through today,” Willey added.

Laura Gozzi
Reporting from Vatican City

A fresh breeze is blowing over Rome this morning.

The Mass aheadof the conclave is being celebrated within St Peter’s Basilica and followed bypeople in the square, thanks to four giant screens set up near the colonnades.

An influx of faithful is expected later this evening, around the time of thefirst vote. For now, though, the atmosphere is quiet.

As hymns ring out fromspeakers, seagulls mill about the cobblestones.

Maryam Moshiri
Chief Presenter, BBC News

Here at the Vatican, people continue to gather ahead of the conclave – which is due to begin later today.

I spoke to Father Thomas Reese, a Jesuit priest and senior analyst for the Religion News Service.

He says he is looking forward to the conclave.

“I’m very excited about who is going to lead the church and be a spokesman for issues facing the world. We saw with Francis what an impact a pope can have, and we’re hoping that the one who’s elected will have that same kind of impact,” he said.

I asked him for his thoughts on who might be elected.

“I think it’s all guessing at this point! If the conclave is over quickly it’s going to be one of the leading candidates like Cardinal Parolin, the current Secretary of State, but it’s everybody’s guess at this point.”

Following Pope’s Francis’s funeral last month, the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re summoned cardinals to the Vatican to elect the new pope – the process known as the conclave.

Re presides over the Mass being celebrated this morning in St Peter’s Basilica ahead of the election of the new pope. He also led the Pope’s funeral.

Re was born on 30 January 1934 in the Italian commune of Borno, in Brescia. According to his Vatican biography, the 91-year-old holds a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and was ordained priest in 1957.

He then entered the Holy See’s diplomatic service, during which he was posted to Panama and Iran. In 2001, Pope John Paul II proclaimed him a cardinal.

He was elected as dean of the College of Cardinals in 2020, and Pope Francis extended his term in February this year.

He participated in the conclave of April 2005, which elected Pope Benedict XVI and in the conclave of March 2013, which elected Pope Francis.

The cardinal leading the Mass before the conclave, Giovanni Battista Re, has called on his peers to choose a leader who can guide the Catholic Church during what he calls a “difficult and complex” point in time.

“This is a strong call to maintain the unity of the Church… a unity that does not mean uniformity, but a firm and profound communion in diversity,” he said during Mass.

Re, who is 91, is too old to vote in the conclave. Voters need to be under the age of 80.

He emphasised that the vote was of “exceptional importance” and that cardinals needed to set aside “every personal consideration”.

The new pope has to be chosen by the Catholic Church’s most senior officials, known as the College of Cardinals.

All men, they are appointed directly by the pope, and are usually ordained bishops.

There are currently 252 Catholic cardinals, just over 130 of whom are eligible to vote for the new pope.

The others are over the age of 80, which means they cannot take part in the election, although they can join in the debate over who should be selected.

A Holy Mass is now being celebrated for the election of the new pope, in St Peter’s Basilica.

The service, which is televised, is presided over by Giovanni Battista Re, the 91-year-old Cardinal Dean who was also the celebrant of Pope Francis’ funeral.

Maryam Moshiri
Chief Presenter, BBC News

It’sa rainy and drab morning here in the Vatican – but the weather has done littleto dampen spirits as the excitement and anticipation builds ahead of the conclave later.

Peopleare streaming into St Peter’s Basilica to take part in a special mass thismorning to mark the occasion and to pray for the 133 Cardinals who have to makethe decision as to who is elected the 267th Pope.

Thisis arguably one of the most important conclaves in hundreds of years – aswhoever becomes the new pontiff must decide whether to continue the legacy ofPope Francis, or take the Church and its 1.4 billion Catholics in a differentdirection.

Cardinals play a central role in the papal election, known as a conclave. There are currently 252 Catholic cardinals, but only 133 will vote for a new pope as they must be under 80 years of age to take part.Here’s a breakdown of the number of cardinals by continent:

1. Europe: 114
2. Asia: 37
3. South America: 32
4. Africa: 29
5. North America: 28
6. Central America: 8
7. Oceania: 4

The youngest member of the College of Cardinals is the Ukrainian-born Melbourne bishop Mykola Bychok, 45. The oldest is 99-year-old Angelo Acerbi, an veteran of the Vatican diplomatic service.

During the voting period, the cardinals are cut off from the outside world – denied phones and access to the internet or newspapers.

They sleep and eat in Casa Santa Marta, a five-story guesthouse within the Vatican complex. The election is held in strict secrecy inside the Sistine Chapel, famously painted by Michelangelo.

Each cardinal votes for the candidate they wish to become Pope. They can vote for themselves if they wish. If any cardinals are too ill to be in the chapel, they can vote from their rooms.

A new pope is elected when a candidate has secured the support of 89 cardinals – which can take several rounds of voting.

In previous centuries, conclaves have gone on for weeks or months. Some cardinals have even died during the process.

The last two conclaves have concluded by the end of the second day.

Technically, yes. But it is highly unlikely.

The are no rules that forbid the Pope from being elected in the first vote, but it has not happened in centuries.

That first ballot is very important though, as the election is a numbers game: a two-thirds majority is needed to elect a new pope so cardinals will have to concentrate on candidates with a certain level of support.

The first – or first few – votes will indicate who could emerge as a potential candidate capable of creating enough consensus among the electing cardinals.

If today’s vote doesn’t yield a new pope, cardinals will go back to guesthouse Casa Santa Marta for dinner.

It is then, on the side-lines of the voting process, that conversations take place about whom to support.

• From around 07:00 local time (06:00 BST), cardinals started to move into rooms in the SanctaeMarthae, a guesthouse in the Vatican (some will have moved on Tuesday)
• At 10:00 (09:00 BST), they will gather in St Peter’s Basilica for a Mass

• At 16:30 (15:30 BST) the cardinals will start a procession from the Pauline Chapel tothe Sistine Chapel
• At around 17:30 (16:30 BST) everyone but electors must leave the Sistine Chapel – the moment “extra omnes” is pronounced marks the start of the cardinals’ isolation, and the start of the conclave

• Around 19:00(18:00 BST), a set of smoke is released after the first ballot – and remember, you can watch the chimney by pressing watch live at the top of the page.

From Thursday morning – if a new pope is not announced on Wednesday – cardinals will have breakfast from 06:30 (05:30 BST) ahead of Mass at 08:15 (07:15 BST), before two votes are scheduled.

We’re just getting the first images from the Vatican this morning, where cardinals are gathering to start the process of electing a new pope.

The day is packed with rituals and ends with an evening prayer in the Sistine Chapel after a first, highly secretive, vote.

The cardinals have gathered in Vatican City to choose the 267th pope. In the morning, cardinals will take part in a Mass in St Peter’s Basilica.

Later, in the afternoon, the cardinals will walk in a procession along the Via delle Fondamenta to the Sistine Chapel.

This is where the highly secretive voting process takes place, beneath the famous Renaissance frescoes.

Later the world will witness the first smoke emerge from the Sistine Chapel chimney. If it is black then there will be more voting in the following days.

White smoke, of course, means a new pope has been chosen.

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.