Fifteen to 20 days after the death of Pope Francis, cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church will shut the doors of the Sistine Chapel to pick his successor. It is set to be the largest conclave in the history of the faith and also one of the most unpredictable.
Only members of the College of Cardinals who are under 80 may vote. Theoretically, they may pick any baptized man, though the next pope will surely come from among the princes of the church: its cardinals.
Some church watchers have argued that Francis stacked the decks for a successor. He appointed 110 of the 136 cardinals who will be under 80. But Vatican insiders say it is wrong to conclude that the cardinals picked by Francis will look for a carbon copy.
