On the eve of the conclave, tourists and locals in Rome wait in suspense

Among the roughly 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, many are keenly anticipating the upcoming Vatican conclave at which members of the College of Cardinals will elect a successor to Pope Francis.

There are no official candidates for the papacy, but some cardinals are considered “papabile,” or possessing the characteristics necessary to become pope.

After St. John Paul II broke the Italian hold on the papacy in 1978, the field of…