When the papal conclave begins on Wednesday (May 7), the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church will enter a cloistered world defined by ritual, reflection, and a carefully controlled daily routine inside Vatican City.

Each day will start at Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican residence where the cardinals will stay throughout the conclave. After breakfast, they will board buses under tight security and head to the Sistine Chapel, where they will gather for the morning round of voting beneath Michelangelo's frescoes.

During the voting sessions, cardinals will wear full ceremonial attire: red cassocks, white surplices, and red zucchettos. After the ballots are cast, they will return to Santa Marta for lunch, rest, and informal discussions. In the afternoon, they will repeat the process changing back into formal robes, boarding the bus, and heading again to the chapel for a second vote.

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This routine will continue each day until one cardinal secures the required two-thirds majority. 

Until then, the world will watch the chapel chimney for the signal: black smoke for an inconclusive vote, white smoke for the election of a new pope.

While inside Santa Marta, life will be more relaxed. 

Cardinals will change into less formal clerical wear black suits or simple cassocks and move freely within the residence. They will hold conversations in hallways and lounges, with groups often forming along regional or linguistic lines to discuss potential candidates.

In the background, Vatican workers will prepare for the moment of decision. 

The Sistine Chapel will be fitted with a stove and chimney mechanism to burn ballots and emit the smoke that signals the outcome. Tailors in Rome will also be on standby, measuring, fitting, and waiting some even postponing final stitches for red robes or papal whites until a name is confirmed.

When a pope is finally elected, the cardinals will break from their routine. The white smoke will rise, the bells of St. Peter's will ring, and the new pontiff will emerge to greet the faithful. 

Until then, the process will follow a strict rhythm, one of solemn ceremony and quiet deliberation.

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