As the conclave to elect the next pope begins Wednesday at the Vatican, four candidates have emerged as clear favorites—Cardinals Pietro Parolin, Luis Antonio Tagle, Matteo Zuppi and Pierbattista Pizzaballa.

Cardinal Luis Tagle, the archbishop of Manila in the Philippines, was appointed by Pope Francis to an office in the Vatican that focuses on evangelization. ABC News' Britt Clennett reports.

The process of electing the next pope begins Wednesday in Vatican City with the voting members of the College of Cardinals sequestered inside the Sistine Chapel and cut off from the outside world until they make their choice.

While there are a few cardinals seen as front-runners to succeed Pope Francis -- two often mentioned are Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle -- many of the clerics who will vote have not made up their minds.

The United States is the home country for 10 of the 133 cardinals eligible to vote for the next pope. That’s more than any nation except Italy, home to 17 of the electors who will gather Wednesday for the Vatican conclave to choose the successor to Pope Francis.

The United States is the home country of 10 of the 133 cardinals eligible to vote for the next pope of the Catholic Church