Conclave 2025 LIVE: Cardinals begin conclave to elect new pope in majesty of Sistine Chapel

Catholic cardinals who will choose the next pope are now locked behind the heavy wood doors of the Sistine Chapel, sequestered from the world to elect the man they hope can unite a diverse but divided global Church. In a ritual dating back to medieval times, 133 cardinal electors walked slowly into the chapel before taking an oath of perpetual secrecy under the gaze of the stern Christ depicted in Michelangelo's Last Judgement fresco, which adorns the chapel.