The Holy See has not disclosed how much the conclave will weigh on its shaky finances. But arranging it is understood to be an expensive affair, running into the millions of euros.
On Wednesday afternoon some 133 of them -- those aged under 80 -- began voting for a new pope under Michelangelo's frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, which has been fitted out to hold the gathering.
As per the 1929 deal that created the Vatican City State, Italy foots the bill for security costs.
This year, the hard-right government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made available an initial five million euros after Francis's death but total costs are yet to be quantified, said civil protection minister Nello Musumeci.
Almost 12,000 security staff, 1,000 firefighters and 5,000 civil servants were deployed between the death of John Paul II and the election of Benedict XVI in 2005, according to the government.
The Church has since been less transparent with figures.
Similarly no estimate has been given for this conclave.
During his pontificate, the Argentinian sought to clean up the murky and often disastrous financial affairs of the Holy See.
But Vatican finances remain precarious and cardinals were briefed on the situation ahead of the conclave.
The Holy See continues to face a chronic budget deficit, estimated at around 30 million in 2022, amid a decline in donations from the faithful.
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