Catholic cardinals meet to set date for papal conclave
The world’s Catholic cardinals convened on Monday for their first meeting since the funeral of Pope Francis to discuss the timing of the secret conclave that will elect the next leader of the global Church.
Any decision could be announced around mid-day (1000 GMT). The conclave is not expected to begin before May 6, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
The 16th-century Sistine Chapel, where conclaves are held, was closed to tourists on Monday to allow for preparations for the vote.
The past two conclaves, in 2005 and 2013, lasted just two days. But Swedish Cardinal Anders Arborelius said on Monday he expects this conclave may take longer, as many of the cardinals appointed by Pope Francis have never met each other before.
Francis made a priority of appointing cardinals from places that had never had them, such as Myanmar, Haiti, and Rwanda.
"We don't know each other," Arborelius, one of about 135 cardinals under the age of 80 who will enter the conclave, said.
Francis, pope since 2013, died aged 88 on April 21. His funeral on Saturday and a procession through Rome to his burial place at the Basilica of St. Mary Major attracted crowds estimated at more than 400,000.
German Cardinal Walter Kasper told La Repubblica newspaper that the outpouring of mourners for Francis indicated that Catholics wanted the next pope to continue with his reforming style of papacy.
Francis, the first pope from Latin America, largely tried to open up the often staid Church to new conversations. He allowed debate on issues such as ordaining women as clergy and outreach to LGBTQ Catholics.
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