Conclave live: 'Double best wishes': Dean of cardinals overheard giving message to papal frontrunner

Cardinals gather for prayer before start of conclave

We're starting to see the first of the 133 cardinals responsible for choosing the next pope gather ahead of the procession.

They're gathering at the Pauline Chapel to pray and will then form a procession over to the Sistine Chapel singing Veni Creator Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit).

You can watch along in the stream at the top of this live page, and we'll be bringing you the latest updates here.

Watch: What happens during a conclave?

With cardinals set to gather in the next few moments, the start of the conclave is edging ever closer.

The meeting to elect the new pope is held in secrecy in the Sistine Chapel with phones handed over, windows covered and the building even swept for bugs.

Coming up: Procession, oath of secrecy - then doors close

Our Europe correspondent Siobhan Robbins is in Vatican City, and says we'll see the line of cardinal electors walking from the Pauline Chapel into the Sistine Chapel in the next hour. 

"They're going to take an oath of secrecy. They'll take it as a collective, and then individually," she says. 

"When all that process is done, the doors are shut. We'll hear the words read out in Latin and that's when that top secret negotiation, the election begins. 

"One by one they'll be called, we've seen the numbers that have been written on white balls." 

Robbins says that the cardinals will be called to cast their votes in the election, and then "at some point this evening, we will hope to see the smoke".

Of course, black smoke means that no decision has been made, and white smoke means a new pope has been elected.

What are the chances of a British pope?

It's been 866 years since the papacy of Britain's only ever pontiff (Pope Adrian IV) ended in 1159, and the history of the Catholic Church in the UK since then has been turbulent.

It is not thought that any of the UK or Irish cardinals are among the favourites to succeed Pope Francis.

Cardinal Sean Brady, Ireland's only Catholic cardinal, will turn 86 this summer and so is also unable to vote because of his age, as is Cardinal Michael Fitzgerald, from Birmingham, who will turn 88 in August.

Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Vincent Nichols, from Liverpool, and the leader of Catholics in England and Wales, is taking part in conclave, as is Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe, who is from London.

Aged 75, Cardinal Arthur Roche, from West Yorkshire and based in Rome, is the youngest of the UK and Ireland's cardinals.

Both Cardinal Radcliffe and Cardinal Nichols appeared to rule themselves out of the running soon after Francis's death was announced.

Scotland has no Catholic cardinals.

There is also Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who is Irish-born but is seen as an American cardinal having ministered mainly in the US.

He has been based in Rome for some years.

Cardinal Farrell was the one to announce the death of Pope Francis and, as camerlengo, has been the senior official ensuring the smooth running of the church until a new pontiff is chosen, including organising the meetings of cardinals preceding the conclave.

Where do cardinals sleep during the conclave?

As cardinals prepare to gather ahead of their procession over to the Sistine Chapel, they're about to enter a period of secrecy.

The conclave will only end once two-thirds of the 133 cardinals have come to an agreement on the new pope.

For that reason, they will be staying at Casa Santa Marta - a guesthouse inside the Vatican's grounds.

That's because the process can go on for some time. The longest conclave lasted almost three years between 1268 and 1271.

Although, it's worth noting that several have lasted only one day.

The most recent conclaves - for Pope Francis in 2013, Pope Benedict XVI in 2005 and Pope John Paul II in 1978 - all lasted less than three days.

Media attention building as conclave nears

It's approaching 3pm, which is when we expect to start seeing cardinals before they make their way over to the Sistine Chapel.

The media attention has been building throughout the day, with camera crews setting up near St Peter's Basilica.

'Double best wishes': Dean of cardinals overheard giving message to papal frontrunner

We have a hot mic moment to bring you now, which could be significant in this week's conclave...

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re went to greet Cardinal Pietro Parolin at the end of morning mass earlier.

It looks as though Re - the dean of the cardinals who led the mass - might not have been aware of the live feed showing pictures from Vatican City at the time.

Battista Re, 91, was overheard on the feed telling Parolin: "Best wishes. Double best wishes." 

In the original Italian, this was "auguri... auguri doppi".

Parolin, 70, is the current frontrunner in the contest to become the next pope.

However, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

The dean of cardinals usually presides over the vote. But in this conclave, the current dean - Re - is over the eligible voting age, and so the election will be led by Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state.

So, it's quite possible Re was simply wishing Parolin good luck for running the process.

But then Re did say "double best wishes"...

Read all about the man known as "deputy pope" since 2013 in our explainer below:

-SKY NEWS