Process of secretive conclave explained as voting to decide Pope Francis' successor begins

The secretive process of the conclave is a complicated one but voting to pick Pope Francis' successor officially begins in the Vatican today (May 7).

Pope Francis, whose real name was Jorge Mario Bergoglio, had experienced ill health in the months leading up to his passing at the age of 88 last month.

The Holy Father at the head of the Roman Catholic Church was rushed to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital back in February after suffering a respiratory infection, chronic bronchitis, which developed into pneumonia in both lungs, and a mild kidney failure.

The Vatican confirmed his passing in an emotional statement released on April 21.

The process of conclave

The papal conclave, the method in which the next pope will be chosen, officially begins on today with a mass in St Peter’s Basilica.

Pope Francis died aged 88 last month (Franco Origlia/Getty Images)

Later on this afternoon, 133 cardinal electors will stroll over to Sistine Chapel while chanting the litany of the saints.

The electors will then stand before Michelangelo’s vision of heaven and hell by swearing to carry out the solemn duty of selecting a new pope.

The cardinals will take up a vow of secrecy before they begin discussing and ultimately voting on who they want to be the next leader of the Catholic Church.

There are 133 cardinals in total, including 17 from Italy, while cardinals elsewhere in Europe are from nations such as Spain, France, the Netherlands and Hungary.

Asia and the Middle East have 23 representatives, and North America and South and Central America have 16 and 21 respectively.

Meanwhile, four cardinals originate from Oceania - one from each of Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Tonga.

Who are the favorites and when will a new pope be announced

The race to become the next pope and the leader of the Catholic Church is very much open, though Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Luis Antonio Tagle, a Filipino Cardinal, are said to be amongst the frontrunners.

Theoretically, a new pope could be announced as early as today, but that is deemed as unlikely.

Italy's Pietro Parolin is one of the favorites for the job (Getty Images / Stefano Costantino/SOPA Images/LightRocket)

See, the cardinals are likely to spend days debating who would be best fit for the role of pope, so the event in which a new leader of the Catholic Church is announced today probably won't happen.

If no winner is found in the coming hours, the Vatican said black smoke would be seen plummeting out of the Sistine Chapel chimney later this evening.

And on the off chance a new pope is elected, then white smoke would be released.