Some of the 133 voting cardinals had said they expected a short conclave to replace Pope Francis. But it will likely take a few rounds of voting for one man to secure the two-thirds majority, or 89 ballots,

The conclave to elect a new pope has officially begun, with a Vatican official calling out ''extra omnes'' and the door to the Sistine Chapel shutting.

The seagulls have caught the public eye on the Vatican's livestream of the papal election for the next pontiff