The conclave is a time-honored process conducted in secrecy behind the locked doors of the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel.

Conclave, the film about the death of a fictional pope and the election of a new papal leader, was an awards-season favourite. And now, as Catholics around the globe mourn the death of Pope Francis, that election process begins in the real world too.

With the funeral of Pope Francis concluded, preparations are under way for the beginning of the Papal Conclave, which will see the eligible members of the College of Cardinals enter isolation and vote on who becomes the new pope.