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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
World
Rachel Clun and Alastair Jamieson

Conclave to elect new pope begins with prayer – and oaths of secrecy

One hundred and thirty-three cardinals filed into the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday, swearing an oath of secrecy to begin deliberations on who should lead the Catholic church following the death of Pope Francis.

Behind them, the great doors swung shut after the cry of "extra omnes" – Latin for "all out" – as they began the centuries-old ritual and opened the most geographically diverse conclave in the faith's 2,000-year history.

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