Vatican Sets May 7 for Secret Conclave to Elect New Pope

Vatican City: The Vatican announced on Monday that the secret conclave to elect the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church will begin on May 7, following the funeral of Pope Francis, which took place on Saturday.

The date was finalised during a private meeting of cardinals at the Vatican. A total of 135 cardinals under the age of 80 from across the globe are eligible to participate in the vote. They will gather in the historic Sistine Chapel, known for its iconic Michelangelo frescoes, to select the new head of the 1.4 billion-member Church.

Preparations for the conclave are underway, including the temporary closure of the Sistine Chapel to tourists. Alongside centuries-old traditions, the Vatican is also deploying modern security measures to prevent surveillance and interference during the proceedings.

Unlike previous conclaves in 2005 and 2013 that concluded within two days, the upcoming election might take longer. Swedish Cardinal Anders Arborelius noted that many of the cardinals appointed by Pope Francis come from countries that had never previously had cardinals and are unfamiliar with one another.

“We don’t know each other,” Arborelius remarked, pointing out the challenge of building consensus among a diverse group.