As cardinals prepare to elect a new pope in the Vatican, observers may want a refresher on the procedures for a papal conclave.

The Washington Post reports on the preparations for the upcoming papal conclave and provides the following graphic explaining rules and procedures for the conclave:

The BBC offers an insider’s view of the conclave process by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, who participated in the conclave that elected Benedict XVI but is too old to vote in the upcoming conclave.

NIU students in HIST 414 European Wars of Religion and HIST 420 The Renaissance will be interested in following the conclave process and noting comparisons with the Renaissance papacy.