Date of first conclave session for election of new pope announced

Roman Catholic cardinals. Photo: reuters.com

Roman Catholic cardinals will gather for a secret conclave to elect the new head of the Church, with the start date set for May 7. This was reported to Reuters by a senior Vatican source.

The date was determined during a closed-door meeting of the cardinals at the Vatican – the first gathering after the funeral of Pope Francis, which was held on Saturday. An official announcement is expected shortly.

About 135 cardinals under the age of 80, representing various countries around the world, are eligible to participate in the conclave. It will be their responsibility to elect the new leader of the Catholic Church, which has approximately 1.4 billion faithful.

The previous two conclaves, in 2005 and 2013, concluded within two days.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the Vatican had closed the Sistine Chapel to prepare for the election of the new pope.

Read also

Court to choose preventive measure for Met. Arseniy in Dnipro on December 5

The prosecutor demands that the detention of the UOC hierarch be extended.

Khmelnytskyi Eparchy delivers 20 tons of food to Kyiv Theological Schools

Believers of the UOC eparchy collected vegetables, grains, and oil for KDAiS students.

Pashinyan forbids priests to mention Armenian Church head during services

The Prime Minister of Armenia publicly confirmed that state structures demand that Catholicos Karekin II be not commemorated during services attended by the politician.

Pope and Slovak President discuss consequences of war in Ukraine for Europe

During the meeting, the Pontiff and the Slovak President discussed the international situation, with particular attention to the war in Ukraine.

UOC monastery in Kniazhychi faces imminent takeover – lawyer

A UOC lawyer has reported a risk of the forcible eviction of the brethren of the Transfiguration Monastery on the morning of December 5.

Orthodox Church in Czech Republic faces threat of losing special rights

The Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic has initiated administrative proceedings against the Church amid the bankruptcy of the Prague Diocese.