CARDINALS will gather for a papal conclave to elect Pope Francis’ successor on May 7, a Vatican source has revealed.
It comes following the late pontiff’s funeral on Saturday, which was attended by thousands of mourners from across the world.
AlamyConclave will take place in the Sistine Chapel[/caption]
RexConclave will elect the successor of Pope Francis, who died last Monday[/caption]
EPACrowds gathered in the Vatican following the Pope’s death[/caption]
GettyWhite smoke will rise over the Vatican when a new Pope is elected[/caption]
Around 135 cardinals are eligible to take part in the secretive election that will determine the spiritual leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
Cardinals who are under the age of 80 are allowed to vote in the conclave.
They will travel to Rome from all over the world to participate in the ceremonies.
The process for choosing the next Pope is centuries old, and voting will be held in the Sistine Chapel.
While the process of choosing Francis’ successor is highly secretive, several cardinals have been identified as possible top contenders.
They include Italy‘s Pietro Parolin, the Philippines’ Luis Antonio Tagle, Hugary’s Peter Erdo and Ghana‘s Peter Turkson.
Cardinals are traditionally locked inside until a decision has been reached.
They will cast secret ballots in a series of voting rounds until one of them has received the required two-thirds majority to win.
After each round of voting, the ballots will be burned in the stove at the Sistine Chapel.
Black smoke emerging from the chimney is used to signal that no decision has been made that round.
Once a new Pope has been chosen, white smoke will rise instead.
Whoever is chosen will be asked by the Cardinal Dean if they accept the papacy – and what name they will adopt as Pope.
The name will usually be chosen in honour of a saint of previous Pope.
Francis, who was called Jorge Mario Bergoglio before he became Pope, picked his name after Saint Francis of Assisi.
The date of the conclave falls within the traditional 15-20 day window following the passing of a Pope.
Pope Francis died last Monday aged 88, just hours after his final public appearance on Easter Sunday.
He was elected Pope in 2013 after the resignation of Benedict XVI.
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