ROME and LONDON — The papal conclave to replace Pope Francis will begin Wednesday, May 7, the Vatican said on Monday.
Cardinals will convene at the Vatican to begin a process of choosing a new pope, who will become the Catholic Church’s 267th leader.
Cardinals attend the Homage of the College of Cardinals and Second Vespers, on the first day of its opening to the public in Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica on April 27, 2025 in Rome, Italy.
Eric Vandeville via Vatican Pool WO/Getty Images
The announcement follows a weekend of prayer and reflection at the Vatican, where world leaders and the faithful gathered on Saturday for a funeral mass.
Cardinals attend the Homage of the College of Cardinals and Second Vespers, on the first day of its opening to the public in Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica on April 27, 2025 in Rome, Italy.
Vatican Pool Wo/Getty Images
Francis, who died last Monday at the age of 88, was buried on Saturday in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.
The cardinals who will choose the new pope will meet in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, which closed to the public as of Monday, according to a notice posted on the Vatican museum’s website.
