ROME and LONDON — The papal conclave to switch Pope Francis will start Wednesday, Might 7, the Vatican mentioned on Monday.
Cardinals will convene on the Vatican to start a course of of selecting a brand new pope, who will turn into the Catholic Church’s 267th chief.
Cardinals attend the Homage of the Faculty of Cardinals and Second Vespers, on the primary day of its opening to the general public in Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica on April 27, 2025 in Rome, Italy.
Eric Vandeville by way of Vatican Pool WO/Getty Pictures
The announcement follows a weekend of prayer and reflection on the Vatican, the place world leaders and the trustworthy gathered on Saturday for a funeral mass.

Cardinals attend the Homage of the Faculty of Cardinals and Second Vespers, on the primary day of its opening to the general public in Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica on April 27, 2025 in Rome, Italy.
Vatican Pool Wo/Getty Pictures
Francis, who died last Monday on the age of 88, was buried on Saturday within the Basilica of St. Mary Main in Rome.
The cardinals who will select the brand new pope will meet within the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, which closed to the general public as of Monday, based on a discover posted on the Vatican museum’s web site.