Papal conclave to elect Pope Francis' successor to begin on May 7

[ad_1] Cardinals will collect for the papal conclave — the centuries-old custom by means of which a brand new head of the Catholic Church is elected — beginning on Could 7, Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni stated Monday.

The announcement comes after Pope Francis was laid to relaxation Saturday in a ceremony that noticed world leaders and lots of of 1000's of mourners descend upon the Vatican to pay their respects.

Francis died one week in the past on April 21, Easter Monday, on the age of 88. The pontiff's loss of life got here after a protracted well being battle that hospitalized him for weeks.

The Vatican introduced the conclave's begin date following a fifth congregation of cardinals early Monday, which Bruni stated was attended by greater than 180 cardinals. A bit over 100 of these cardinals will likely be electors within the forthcoming conclave, on account of these over the age of 80 not being allowed to vote.

Bruni stated that a number of cardinals spoke in the course of the congregation, on points together with the Church and its relationship with the world — and the way a brand new pope would want to have the ability to navigate the challenges that lie forward.

Cardinals at Pope Francis' funeral on Saturday. Filippo Monteforte / AFP - Getty Pictures Funeral rites for the late pope are anticipated to be held for 9 days following his burial.

It's customary for the conclave to be held 15 to twenty days after the pope's loss of life, however till now the Holy See had not launched the small print of the gathering. Bruni stated the conclave wouldn't be held earlier than Could 7 because of the time required to make the required preparations.

The “conclave,” which stems from the Latin time period for “with key," is a church custom that started in 1268 with a papal election that lasted virtually three years and ended solely when native residents of the central Italian metropolis of Viterbo locked up the cardinals till a brand new pope was chosen.

Since then, it has turn into a considerably much less chaotic course of, with each Francis and his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI, elected inside round two days.