And what pressing questions they believe the Catholic Church faces today

What we know about the protocols being followed by the cardinals in conclave—and what happens next

Some five hours after the opening Mass, the cardinals were to process into the Sistine Chapel, swear an oath to uphold the conclave rules, listen to a final reflection and—if they chose to do so—conduct the first ballot.

Perhaps a revealing question is whether the church will continue the radical novelty Francis brought as a pope from a religious order—and whether this is the continuity needed now.

No one gathers Christians—Catholics and non-Catholics alike—throughout the world, however imperfectly, in the way the pope does. The world needs the pope.

Who are the frontrunners entering the conclave, and how the voting could quickly confirm papabile lists or pivot to an unexpected candidate