Cardinals prepare for the conclave. Archive photo: AFP
On 7 May, a secret conclave will begin in the Vatican, during which the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church will elect a new pope. This important meeting will take place in the Sistine Chapel, where the cardinals will begin the process of electing a new leader of the Catholic Church after being sworn to secrecy.
The conclave will be the result of a general meeting of the College of Cardinals, which discussed key issues regarding the Church and its future. The meeting featured about 20 speeches on the challenges facing the Catholic Church and the characteristics the new pope should have.
The conclave will be attended by more than 130 cardinals under the age of 80 from around the world. During the meeting, a lot will be drawn to determine the composition of the commission that will help manage the current affairs of the church.
It is expected that the election of the new pope will be completed within a few days. When the cardinals reach a majority, white smoke will rise from the Sistine Chapel chimney and the bells will ring to announce the election of the new pope. If the vote is unsuccessful, black smoke will come out of the chimney.
This historic gathering takes place after the death of Francis, and will be the next stage in the election of a new head of the Catholic Church, which has more than 1.4 billion believers worldwide.
