A British cardinal was among the first to arrive at the Vatican yesterday as they began to ‘check in’ for the start of the conclave to elect the next Pope.

Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe, 79, is one of three British cardinals who will be involved in electing the next Pope once the voting process begins this afternoon.

The 133 cardinals eligible to vote yesterday descended on the Vatican to check into their accommodation.

They normally reside in the Vatican’s Santa Marta guesthouse, which has en-suite bathrooms and hotel-style room service, but with representatives from 70 countries across five continents, this conclave is the largest ever.

As a result, some cardinals will be housed at Santa Marta Vecchia, a building next door usually typically used to accommodate Vatican officials.

As the lots were drawn to sort out room allocation yesterday, Cardinal Radcliffe was one of the first to set the ball rolling – jumping out of a car and pulling a small suitcase behind him.

He smiled and waved but refused to be drawn on the secret ballot which will elect a new leader for the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics.

Born in London, Cardinal Radcliffe was made a cardinal by Pope Francis last December and was among the one of the last named before the Argentine born Pontiff died on Easter Monday aged 88.

Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe was among the first to arrive at the Vatican today as they began to ‘check in’ for the start of the conclave to elect the next Pope

Lots have been drawn to sort out room allocation and Cardinal Radcliffe was one of the first to set the ball rolling – jumping out of a car and pulling a small suitcase behind him

Cardinal Radcliffe was made a cardinal by Pope Francis last December and was among the one of the last named before the Argentine born Pontiff died on Easter Monday aged 88

Bookies have him as an outsider of 30-1 to be Pope and before becoming a cardinal he was master of the Dominican Order and has a close connection with Oxford University.

He is a widely respected and popular theologian and is seen as an ally of the late Pope, who would continue in his vein and is not a traditionalist.

Following Pope Francis’s death last month Cardinal Radcliffe was asked if he would take the top job and said: ’I believe the Holy Spirit is far too wise to even think of me for the shortest moment.’

His arrival at the Vatican marks the beginning of one of the most secretive democratic processes in the world. 

On Monday afternoon, Vatican News confirmed that 170 Cardinals, including 132 with the right to vote, participated in the 11th General Congregation – a high-level pre-conclave meeting. 

The Sistine Chapel and the ‘Room of Tears’ is ready for the conclave, where 133 cardinals will descend to elect a new pope

Bookies have Cardinal Radcliffe as an outsider of 30-1 to be Pope and before becoming a cardinal he was master of the Dominican Order and has a close connection with Oxford University

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said key themes included the faith of migrants, ethnocentrism, ongoing conflicts across Asia and Africa, and the Church’s future in a fractured world.

‘The cardinals outlined the figure of a pastoral Pope,’ Bruni noted, ‘with a focus on dialogue and building relationships.’

Bruni initially said that cardinals would be asked to leave their mobile phones at their Vatican residence, Santa Marta, insisting that they wouldn’t be confiscated.

But just hours later at an evening briefing, he said that they would hand their phones over at Santa Marta and only get them back at the end of the conclave.

The Vatican will use signal jamming around the Sistine Chapel and the residences to prevent electronic surveillance or communication outside the conclave

Now, as the Catholic Church gets ready to elect its new leader, the Vatican will deploy signal jamming around the Sistine Chapel and the residences to prevent electronic surveillance or communication outside the conclave.

The Vatican gendarmes will oversee security measures.

In one of the most tightly controlled events in the modern religious world, conclave protocol ensures that every corner of the Vatican involved in the papal election is locked down – from the private buses that ferry cardinals between residences and the Chapel, to the meals served by laypeople sworn to silence.

The conclave’s duration is anyone’s guess. Some last a day, others stretch for weeks.

But one thing is certain: the world will know the moment a new Pope is chosen, when a puff of white smoke curls from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, followed by the famous Latin declaration, ‘Habemus Papam.’