The cardinals will hold one vote tomorrow. If no new pope is elected, they will meet again Wednesday, holding two votes in the morning and two in the afternoon. That process will continue each day until a candidate gets 77 votes, a two-thirds majority.

Monday's edition of the Italian newspaper La Republica is calling Cardinal Timothy Dolan a "shadow candidate" who could sneak in as an alternative in if the conclave can't get to two-thirds.

Some cardinals see Dolan as a potential reformer.

Critics have accused him of shielding priests accused of sexual misconduct, but Dolan and his supporters deny those accusations.

"He's very forthright about the need for a clergy that doesn't tolerate any sexual abuse. Those that do need to be punished. And he's very clear that we are in a crisis in the church that we can't sweep under the rug," said Reverend Gerald E. Murray of Manhattan's Church of the Holy Family. "The important thing is not what any individual priest says but rather I think what the church in general is doing, and it's quite clear: Once this scandal was made public and the old way of hiding it was seen to be completely reprehensible, we're now dealing with the situation."

Vivian Lee is in Rome for the papal conclave and will have reports throughout the week.