There are just a handful of Catholic cardinals across the UK and Ireland, some of whom are expected to cast a vote for the next pope.
Technically, any baptised Catholic man is eligible to become the next pontiff, but for centuries only cardinals have been chosen.
In the UK and Ireland, there are currently five cardinals.
Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe was said to be “hot-footing to Rome” on Monday, following a press conference in London.
Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Vincent Nichols, from Liverpool, and the leader of Catholics in England and Wales, was expected to be travelling to Rome on Tuesday.
Both aged 79, the pair are just below the cut-off for voting as part of the conclave – the secret meeting at which a new pope will be elected.
Only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote in a conclave – they are known as the cardinal electors, and their number is limited to 120.
Both Cardinal Radcliffe, who is from London, and Cardinal Nichols appeared to rule themselves out of the running.
Cardinal Nichols told reporters on Monday he was “too old, not capable”, while Cardinal Radcliffe said he believed the Holy Spirit was “far too wise to even think of me (as pope) for the shortest moment”.
Aged 75, Cardinal Arthur Roche, from West Yorkshire, is the youngest of the UK and Ireland’s cardinals.
He is based in Rome and has been a key adviser to Pope Francis in recent years.
Cardinal Michael Fitzgerald, from Birmingham, will turn 88 in August, meaning he will be unable to vote for a new pope.
Cardinal Sean Brady, Ireland’s only Catholic cardinal, will turn 86 this summer and so is also unable to vote due to his age.
Scotland currently has no Catholic cardinals.
It is not thought that any of the UK or Irish cardinals are among the favourites expected to succeed Pope Francis.
Among the names being speculated upon as possible successors are Cardinal Luis Tagle, a 67-year-old from the Philippines who was said to be Francis’s pick for the first Asian pope.
Others include Cardinal Peter Erdo, the 72-year-old Archbishop of Budapest; Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the 71-year-old Archbishop of Munich and Freising; and Cardinal Pietro Parolin, a 70-year-old Italian who has served as Pope Francis’s secretary of state since 2014.
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