Catholic cardinals met on Monday, April 28, for the first time to discuss a possible date to begin the secret conclave that will elect the next pope. This follows the death of Pope Francis on April 21. An announcement about the date could be made around midday. However, the conclave is not expected to start before May 6. The College of Cardinals currently has 252 members from 94 countries. Due to the age limit of 80 years, only 135 cardinals from 71 countries are eligible to vote in the upcoming conclave. This is the largest number of cardinal-electors in any conclave so far. The Sistine Ch

Catholic cardinals met on Monday, April 28, for the first time to discuss a possible date to begin the secret conclave that will elect the next pope. This follows the death of Pope Francis on April 21. An announcement about the date could be made around midday. However, the conclave is not expected to start before May 6. The College of Cardinals currently has 252 members from 94 countries. Due to the age limit of 80 years, only 135 cardinals from 71 countries are eligible to vote in the upcoming conclave. This is the largest number of cardinal-electors in any conclave so far. The Sistine Chapel, where the conclave will be held, was closed to tourists on Monday to prepare for the event. Of the 135 electors, 108 were appointed by Pope Francis, 22 by Pope Benedict XVI, and 5 by St. John Paul II, according to the Vatican. The Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis states that conclaves must begin 15 to 20 days after a pope dies or resigns. However, the cardinals can start earlier if all electors are present. Antonio Cardinal Cañizares Llovera, the Archbishop Emeritus of Valencia, Spain, has informed the Holy See that he will not participate in the conclave due to health issues. His absence reduces the number of electors to 134. The countries with the highest number of cardinal-electors are Italy (17), the United States (10), and Brazil (7). The last two conclaves, held in 2005 and 2013, each lasted just two days. However, Swedish Cardinal Anders Arborelius said on Monday that this conclave might take longer, as many cardinals appointed by Pope Francis have never met each other before. Pope Francis, who led the Church from 2013, died at the age of 88 on April 21. His funeral on Saturday, followed by a procession through Rome to his burial site at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, attracted more than 400,000 people.

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