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Cardinals hold last mass before conclave to elect pope

Ivorian cardinal Ignace Bessi Dogbo leaves after a congregation meeting at The Vatican, on May 5, 2025. [AFP]

Cardinals from five continents held a final mass in St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican on Wednesday before sealing themselves away to elect a new pope to lead the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.

A total of 133 cardinal electors are expected to take part in the conclave, the voting process to pick a successor to Pope Francis, who died last month after a 12-year papacy.

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