Red-hatted cardinals will start the papal conclave on May 7.
PAPAL CONCLAVE – According to the Vatican, cardinals have set the date for the start of the election of the new pope.
The world mourned when Pope Francis died at the age of 88 due to a stroke that led to a coma and caused his heart to fail. Prior to this, he’d been in poor health, and a day after his public appearance on Easter Sunday, he died.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos and his first lady, Liza Marcos, attended the funeral. Several other world leaders were also there, including US President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania.
The late pontiff was laid to rest last Saturday, and the next step expected to be done is choosing one to replace him.
Cardinal Tagle is among the strong contenders for the position of potential successor to the pope. There are also cardinals such as Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Cardinal Peter Erdo, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Cardinal Peter Turkson, Cardinal Sergio da Rocha, Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes, Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonca, Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, and Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu.
Recently, according to the Vatican spokesperson, the Catholic cardinals had a meeting on Monday, and as the meeting concluded, they decided to hold the start of the conclave on May 7.
Currently, there are 252 cardinals, but only 135 of them are under 80. Those who are under 80 are eligible to vote for a new pope. The conclave follows a strict rule and is held in the Sistine Chapel. This could take days or even longer until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority.
Cardinal Dieudonne Nzapalainga from the Central African Republic told the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero, “We need a courageous leader, a bold one, capable of speaking forcefully, of holding the helm of the Church steady even in storms… offering stability in an era of great uncertainty.”
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