�������t¶��

The scandal sparked global media attention and rocked the Catholic Church at a time when all eyes should have been on Rome's Sistine Chapel and the process that eventually saw Pope Francis elected.

Once in the Sistine Chapel, one hand resting on a copy of the Gospel, the cardinals will pronounce the prescribed oath of secrecy which precludes them from ever sharing details about how the new Pope was elected.

He is one of three ecclesiastical staff allowed to stay in the Sistine Chapel despite not being a cardinal elector, even though they will have to leave the premises during the counting of the votes.

As they discuss, pray and vote, outside the boarded-up windows of the Sistine Chapel thousands of faithful will be looking up to the chimney to the right of St Peter's Basilica, waiting for the white plume of smoke to signal that the next pope has been elected.

On Wednesday evening, under the domed ceiling of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, 133 cardinals will vote to elect the Catholic Church's 267th pope.