Funeral in rearview mirror, focus shifts to May 7 conclave as people await new pope

Vatican City: Catholic cardinals on Monday set May 7 as the start date for the conclave to elect Pope Francis’ successor, delaying the secret voting for two days to help them get to know one another better and find consensus on a candidate before they are sequestered in the Sistine Chapel.

The cardinals set the date after arriving for the first day of informal meetings following Pope Francis’ funeral Saturday. In a chaotic scene, journalists shouted out questions to the cardinals about the mood inside, whether there was unity, and when the conclave would begin.

A reporter for a satirical Italian television programme repeatedly asked whether an Italian cardinal who has been convicted by the Vatican criminal court on finance-related charges would be

allowed to vote.

“There is the hope of unity,” said Argentine Cardinal Angel Sixto Rossi, the 66-year-old archbishop of Cordoba who was made a cardinal by Francis in 2023.

Many cardinals cited the desire to continue Francis’ pastoral focus on people who are marginalised and against war. But conservatives in the ranks may be more focused on forging unity and refocusing the church back to core doctrines emphasised by St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, rather than continuing Francis’ social justice focus and outreach to women and gays.

British Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the 79-year-old archbishop of Westminster, was adamant that the church must strive for unity. “The role of the pope is to hold us together and that’s the grace we’ve been given

from God,” he said.