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It will be the first conclave in 20 years to take place after a pope’s death. Pope Francis was elected in 2013, after the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.

Here’s what you need to know about the impending ceremony.

What is a conclave?

The conclave is a centuries-old tradition that will see more than 100 cardinals from around the globe congregate in Vatican City to select the next bishop of Rome and leader of the world’s more-than 1.4 billion Catholics.

It must take place 15 days to a maximum 20 days after the pope vacates his position, .

The first day will start with聽a special mass at St. Peter鈥檚 Basilica by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re. In the afternoon, the cardinal electors will process into the Sistine Chapel, where the voting will take place.

There, a priest will deliver聽a meditation and the cardinals will take an oath. The master of liturgical ceremonies will then utter the Latin words “Extra Omnes”聽鈥� meaning “all out” 鈥� asking all those present save for the voting cardinals to leave the building.

From then on, the cardinals will have no contact with the outside world until the next pope is chosen聽鈥� meaning no cellphones, newspapers, TVs, messages, letters or signals.

In between votes, cardinals will be staying at the聽Domus Santa Marta hotel in Vatican City and possibly another nearby Vatican residence as there are more cardinal electors than hotel rooms.

The word “conclave” is derived from the Latin “com-,” meaning “together,” and “clavis,” meaning “key”聽鈥� together, 聽in reference to how cardinals are sequestered until a winner is determined.

How will the next pope be chosen?

Only cardinals under 80 are allowed to vote. That means 135 of the total 252 cardinals will be eligible, although 聽for health reasons. Church regulations allow a maximum 120 electors, although popes have exceeded that ceiling before.

The cardinal electors must reach a two-thirds majority to elect a new pope. On the first day of the ballot, cardinals will take a single vote.

If no winner is chosen, the electors will return to the Sistine Chapel the following morning. In the following days, there can be up to two votes each morning and two each afternoon until a pope is chosen.

Voting will be done using paper ballots. The slips are burned afterward; the smoke that emerges from a chimney above the Sistine Chapel signals that a round of voting has ended. Black smoke means the cardinals have not yet reached a decision. White smoke means a new pope has been chosen.

In the lead-up to the conclave, all cardinals聽鈥� even those over 80聽鈥� can participate in what’s known as general congregations, where issues affecting the church are discussed.

“These are extremely important pre-conclave meetings where the cardinals have a chance to get to know one another,” according to聽Neil MacCarthy, director of public relations and communications with the Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto.

How long will the conclave last?

The longest conclave in history took nearly three years聽鈥� or聽1,006聽鈥� as two geopolitical factions clashed over the successor to Pope Clement IV in the 13th century.

But this decision will most likely come much faster. Since the election of Pope Pius IX in 1846, the cardinal electors have not taken more than five days to come to a decision.聽Pope Francis was elected in 2013 within two days, on the fifth ballot.

If a pope is not chosen within three days, voting is paused for a day to allow prayer, discussion and a “brief spiritual exhortation” by a senior cardinal.

Who is eligible to become the next pope?

Technically, any baptized Catholic聽male is eligible to be pope. But since 1378, only cardinals have been selected聽鈥� including cardinals over 80, despite being ineligible to cast a ballot.

Women are not allowed to be Catholic priests, which also precludes them from being pope. According to Catholic doctrine, only men can achieve priesthood because Christ only chose men as his 12 apostles.

What’s with all the secrecy?

What happens in the Sistine Chapel stays in the Sistine Chapel聽鈥� to the point where the building is swept for listening devices before and during the conclave. Cardinals and assistants must swear an oath of secrecy; anyone who leaks information will face excommunication.

Papal elections didn’t used to be so secretive. The change came during the aforementioned longest conclave in history, during which concerns over political interference soared.

The incoming Pope Gregory X decreed that, from then on, cardinal electors should be locked in seclusion 鈥� guided by God’s will, without any political interference or distractions 鈥斅爑ntil the deed is done.

Over the centuries, various popes have modified and reinforced Gregory X’s rules, further emphasizing the secrecy.

What happens after the conclave selects a new pope?

White smoke and ringing bells will signal to the crowd waiting in St. Peter’s Square that a pope has been chosen.

Within the Sistine Chapel, the most senior cardinal will ask the one elected: “Do you accept your canonical election as supreme pontiff?”

With their consent, the new pope will be asked to select their papal name. The 10 most common names are, in order of popularity: John, Gregory, Benedict, Clement, Innocent, Leo, Pius, Stephen, Boniface and Urban, according to the聽Archdiocese of Toronto.

The new pontiff will then be led to the “Room of Tears” in the Sistine Chapel, named after the overwhelming emotion incoming popes often experience. There they will don white robes and receive a new cross and head cap, after which the cardinals will greet and pledge themselves to him.

Traditionally, the most senior cardinal deacon of the College will reveal the new pope to the crowd in St. Peter’s Square, after which the pontiff will deliver a blessing to those gathered.

With files from The Associated Press