The lead up to a papal conclave

Within days, perhaps even hours of Pope Francis’s funeral, the discreet meetings will begin among the 135 cardinals who will elect the next Pope. 

When the doors close on the conclave, we won’t – strictly speaking, shouldn’t – know anything until a new pope appears on the balcony of St Peter’s Square. 

But what happens in the crucial days leading up to the conclave as candidates start to emerge. 

FRANCIS CAMPBELL is vice chancellor of Notre Dame University in Australia. He also served as the UK ambassador to the Holy See.