..........and like many others I shall be interested to learn which of the 133 cardinals will be elected by a two-thirds majority. At the outset I must declare that I am not a catholic, but do find the whole historical business of what is happening in Rome intriguing.
The cardinals will be locked away deliberating and praying to select the new pope, but do we really know what goes on, and do you know where Conclave is held?
You may not be interested in who these elderly men select, but the sight of them colourfully kitted out in their red gowns, white lace, and red hats, accompanied by choirs singing Veni, Creator Spiritus as they process into the Sistine Chapel does focus the eye. The Sistine Chapel is where they will remain until the decision is reached. All windows have been blocked and the entrance doors will lock behind them with a cry of "Extra onmes" - everyone out. No electronic devices are allowed in the chapel, it is checked for bugs beforehand and all participants have to undergo security checks. They must swear an oath which invites damnation if they breathe a single detail of what takes place.
To the outside world this is all very peculiar in an age when television, the internet and freedom of information legislation mean that there are hardly any private moments left. However, under the gaze of the media in the centre of a European city Conclave still manages to go about it business in secrecy. 
Vatican workers, and firefighters have completed the installation of the stove in the Sistine chapel complete with chimney on the roof above.
The only clues as to the election's progress or lack of it are the puffs of dark smoke that rise four times a day above the Vatican to signal inconclusive ballot papers are being burnt in the Sistine Chapel. Damp straw used to be used to make sure the smoke was grey, but in a rare concession to modernity chemicals are now preferred. Once the winner has emerged, white smoke appears and to avoid any doubt, church bells are also rung.
