Cardinals from five continents held a final mass in St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Wednesday before sealing themselves away to elect a new pope to lead the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.

A total of 133 cardinal electors are expected to take part in the conclave, the voting process to pick a successor to Pope Francis, who died last month after a 12-year papacy.

New Telegraph reports that the “Princes of the Church” began a pre-conclave mass in St Peter’s Basilica at 10:00 am (0800 GMT), presided over by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re.

It was the last rite to be celebrated publicly before the Church’s 267th pope is presented to the world from a balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, likely several days later.

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Both Francis and his predecessor Benedict XVI were elected within two days, but the longest papal election in Church history lasted 1,006 days, from 1268 to 1271.

The cardinals, who must be younger than 80 to take part, are staying at the Vatican’s Santa Marta guesthouse, where Francis used to live, and Santa Marta Vecchia, a building next door usually housing Vatican officials.

At 3:45 pm they will set off from Santa Marta to gather at the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace, where a prayer will be held from 4:30 pm.

They will proceed into the 15th-century Sistine Chapel for the conclave, which is “one of the most secret and mysterious events in the world.