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.
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