Conclave: Cardinals face a 'big call' on next pope

Cardinal Vincent Nichols (centre) and fellow cardinals at their final Mass in St Peter's Basilica earlier before the conclave

The leader of the Roman Catholic church in England and Wales has said he and his fellow cardinals face a "big call" as the secret voting process to elect a new pope begins.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols is one of more than 130 electors who will be meet in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel during the conclave, with no contact with the outside world until they have chosen the next pontiff.

The Merseyside-born Archbishop of Westminster said he had been "getting to know" his fellow cardinals as many of them had never met before.

He said he felt "quite intimidated" knowing that the outcome of the election was "awaited by people all over the world and of many faiths".

The conclave - which is Latin for locked room - begins in the afternoon with each each cardinal taking an oath of secrecy.

Only those under the age of 80 are permitted to vote in the ceremony.

The results of the vote are then conveyed to the outside world with the release of smoke, with black denoting no consensus and white confirming the election of a new pope.

Archbishop Nichols was made a cardinal by Pope Francis

Cardinal Nichols said the cardinals will have met "almost ten times" before the conclave in a series of meetings known as the Congregation of Cardinals.

The 79-year-old said there had been long meetings, "during which we have been very attentive to the contributions from cardinals across the world".

The cardinals sleep in the five-storey guesthouse Casa de Santa Marta, close to St Peter's Basilica in Vactican City.

It was built by Pope John Paul II in 1996 especially to house cardinals during the conclave and was where Pope Francis decided to live after his election in 2013.

Crosby-born Cardinal Nichols has been in staying in the Catholic seminary the Venerable English College in Rome since shortly after the death of Pope Francis in April.

Unlike other popes, the late pontiff gave his cardinals few opportunities to meet as a group, so with more cardinals from Africa and Asia than previous conclaves, they have been trying to get acquainted.

"During these days we have got to know each other and to appreciate the variety of gifts, insights and dedication among us," he said.

"It is a truly universal church and a reflection of the breadth and diversity of human experience.

"I feel quite intimidated knowing that the outcome of this election is awaited by people all over the world and of many faiths."

He said the "voice of the pope, especially following Pope Francis, can serve as a call to everyone to fashion a society more fitting to the dignity of every human".

"That is a big call," he said.

He said the cardinals were entering the conclave "in a profound spirit of prayer and attentive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, who will, I am sure, guide our decisions".

He added that he hoped "Catholics and indeed all people will say a prayer asking for God's blessing at this important moment".

He has previously ruled himself out of the running to be the next pontiff, describing himself as "too old, not capable".

Cardinal Nichols is one of five cardinals across the UK and Ireland, although only three Englishmen - himself, Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe and Rome-based Cardinal Arthur Roche - who are younger than the voting age limit of 80.