The conclave opens tomorrow, and the energy around the Holy See Press Office is alarmingly calm.

The chair of Peter may be empty, but the Vatican is still full.

The papal conclave will take place as usual in the hallowed space of the Sistine Chapel. What is the history of this famous church and its artistic treasures?

The choice of a papal name is said to be the new pope’s first important decision.

In Pope John Paul II’s rules for the conclave, excommunication was always a possibility, but Pope Benedict XVI made it explicit, saying they must observe “absolute and perpetual secrecy.”

“I become agitated when they say it’s time for an American, it’s time for an African, it’s time for a South Islander. I think that is so stupid. It’s time for the successor of Peter for 2025. The priority is evangelization.”