Conclave to elect new pope will start on May 7

A conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis will begin on Wednesday May 7, the Vatican has announced. The date of the conclave was top of the agenda for cardinals holding informal meetings to hash out church business following Francis’s death on Easter Monday, April 21. They postponed announcing the opening of the conclave until after his funeral on Saturday.

The Vatican said more than 180 participated in the fifth informal meeting in Rome on Monday. A smaller group of 135, known as the College of Cardinals, is eligible to elect a new pope..