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Firefighters have fitted a chimney on top of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican ahead of the conclave which will elect a new pope.
The election of a new pope will be marked by white smoke appearing from the chimney.
Roman Catholic cardinals will begin electing a new pope on March 12.
Pope Benedict XVI stepped down last month after nearly eight years in office, becoming the first pontiff to resign in 600 years.
The vote will be preceded by Mass on Tuesday morning, with the first ballot due in the afternoon, the Vatican press office has said.
The first smoke will drift out of the chapel’s rust-colored chimney early that evening, after the first vote is taken. It is likely to be black – meaning no Pope – as no frontrunner has emerged in the five days of general discussions so far among the 115 cardinals.
From Wednesday, two votes will be held each morning and afternoon – with ballots burned after each session at about 12:00 and 18:00 – until one candidate attains 77 votes – a two-thirds majority. And then the smoke will be white.
Other preparations have been taking place at the Sistine Chapel this week.
Firefighters have fitted a chimney on top of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican ahead of the conclave which will elect a new pope
Two stoves that will produce the white smoke from burnt ballot papers have been fitted in the chapel.
Tables and seating have been set under Michelangelo’s frescoed ceiling for the cardinals – and special technology has been installed to jam any mobile phones or other devices which could breach the strict secrecy of the process.
Correspondents say no one candidate stands out as Benedict XVI’s likely successor.
The last election in 2005 took two days, and correspondents say the number of meetings this time is being seen as a reflection of the many challenges facing the Church.
Despite the vows of secrecy, Italian newspapers have been publishing what they say are leaked details of debate among cardinals on problems faced by the Church.
Reform of the Vatican’s bureaucracy – known as the Curia – and the Vatican bank have both been on the agenda, the reports say.
Last year, European regulators said the bank was not doing enough to combat money laundering, while intrigue in the Vatican was revealed by documents leaked by Pope Benedict’s butler.
During Benedict’s reign, the Catholic Church was wracked by a worldwide scandal over the sexual abuse of children by priests.
There are also tensions between traditionalists and reformers over issues including priestly celibacy, gay rights and the role of women.
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Vatican announced today that Roman Catholic cardinals will begin electing a new pope on March 12 as 115 cardinals gathered for talks.
Pope Benedict XVI, 85, stepped down last month after nearly eight years in office, becoming the first pontiff to resign in 600 years.
The pontiff blamed his failing health for his inability to carry on.
Under the rules of the secret ballot, or conclave, cardinals will vote until one achieves a two-thirds majority.
Correspondents say no one candidate stands out as Benedict XVI’s likely successor.
The vote will be preceded by Mass on Tuesday morning, with the first ballot due in the afternoon, the Vatican press office said.
Roman Catholic cardinals will begin electing a new pope on March 12
Vatican staff has been preparing the Sistine Chapel, where the conclave will take place, installing the two stoves that will produce white smoke from burnt ballot papers when a new pope is elected.
The last election in 2005 took three days, and correspondents say the number of meetings this time is being seen as a reflection of the many challenges facing the Church.
Despite the vows of secrecy, Italian newspapers have been publishing what they say are leaked details of debate among cardinals on problems faced by the Church.
Reform of the Vatican’s bureaucracy – known as the Curia – and the Vatican bank have both been on the agenda, the reports say.
Last year, European regulators said the bank was not doing enough to combat money laundering, while intrigue in the Vatican was revealed by documents leaked by Pope Benedict’s butler.
US Cardinal Timothy Dolan wrote on a blog that most of the discussions covered preaching and teaching the Catholic faith, tending to Catholic schools and hospitals, protecting families and the unborn, and supporting and recruiting priests.
“Those are the <<big issues>>,” he wrote.
“You may find that hard to believe, since the ‘word on the street’ is that all we talk about is corruption in the Vatican, sexual abuse, money. Do these topics come up? Yes! Do they dominate? No!”
During Benedict’s reign the Catholic Church was wracked by a worldwide scandal over the sexual abuse of children by priests.
There are also tensions between traditionalists and reformers over issues including priestly celibacy, gay rights and the role of women.
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Roman Catholic cardinals from around the world are due to meet in Rome to begin the process of electing the next Pope.
The College of Cardinals will hold daily talks leading up to a conclave in which a new Pope will be chosen.
The election process comes after Pope Benedict XVI stepped down after nearly eight years in office leading the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics.
Pope Benedict XVI was the first pontiff to resign in 600 years.
The first pre-conclave meeting on Monday morning is to be headed by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Angelo Sodano.
Cardinals – known as the “princes” of the Church – will discuss future challenges to the Church and discreetly weigh up possible papal candidates.
The conclave – to be held in the Sistine Chapel – is expected to take place next week.
Correspondents say the 115 cardinal electors, those under the age of 80 who will take part in the conclave, will want the new Pope to be officially installed in time to preside over Holy Week.
Roman Catholic cardinals from around the world are due to meet in Rome to begin the process of electing the next Pope
Ceremonies start with Palm Sunday on March 24 and culminate in Easter the following Sunday.
Strict precautions against leaks of unauthorized information will be in operation at the Vatican until the next Pope has been chosen.
Technicians will debug the cardinals’ lodgings and mobile phones will be banned altogether during the conclave.
Britain’s formerly most senior Roman Catholic cleric, Cardinal Keith O’Brien, has said he will not take part in the conclave after standing down amid allegations of improper behavior.
On Sunday, Cardinal Keith O’Brien admitted his sexual conduct had at times “fallen beneath the standards expected of me”.
He apologized and asked forgiveness from those whom he had “offended”.
Cardinal Keith O’Brien resigned as Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh last Monday after three priests and a former priest made allegations against him dating back to the 1980s.
Benedict, 85, officially ceased to be the Pope at 20:00 local time on Friday.
He left the Vatican in a motorcade before being flown by helicopter to the papal retreat at Castel Gandolfo, near Rome.
The German pontiff, who was born Joseph Ratzinger, will continue to be known as Benedict XVI, with the new title of “pope emeritus”.
He is expected to retire to a monastery on a hill inside Vatican City. Officials say he will not be able to intervene publicly in the next papacy although he may offer advice.
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