There are no clear frontrunners for the papacy after last night’s inconclusive first vote.

Cardinals will enter the Sistine Chapel today to elect the next pope, with the Catholic Church facing more upheaval and uncertainty than it has seen in decades.

Catholic cardinals have gathered at the Vatican for their final day of talks before the conclave to elect the next pope.

The head of one of the world's largest Roman Catholic archdiocese and thought to be a leading Latin American contender to succeed Pope Benedict XVI said neither nationality nor age should matter in picking the next pontiff.