The Vatican has announced that a conclave to elect the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church after the death of Pope Francis will begin on May 7.
The date was decided during a closed-door meeting of cardinals at the Vatican today two days after the funeral of Francis, who died on April 21 aged 88.
A total of 135 cardinals from across the world and below the age of 80 are eligible to take part in the secret vote to decide who will be the next head of the 1.4-billion-member church.
The Vatican on Monday closed the Sistine Chapel, where voting will take place, to begin preparations.
This year’s conclave marks a notable increase in participation compared with previous ones after 115 cardinals took part in the 2005 and 2013 elections.
“There was talk of the qualities that the new pontiff must possess to respond effectively to these challenges,” it noted.