5 Vatican Watchers to Follow During the Papal Conclave

Who the next Pope will be is important because he's both the head of a state and of a religion. He influences relations among peoples and religious communities in addition to influencing aspects of Catholic life including sex, death and children.

So whether your interest comes from within the Church or not, the papal conclave is worth your attention. But the Vatican, with its devotion to secrecy and history of valuing the institution over the people in it, is difficult to follow.

Here are five guides who can walk you through the conclave like Virgil guided Dante through the afterlife. These people come with arguably greater knowledge and more convincing analysis than the thousands of general assignment reporters that are wheeling around the dome of St. Peters.