This handout picture released by the Press office shows cardinals chanting the Latin hymn "Veni Creator Spiritus" ("Come Creator Spirit") in the Sistine Chapel before the start of the conclave at the Vatican on March 12, 2013. Photo by Handout / OSSERVATORE ROMANO / AFP
Vatican City: Catholic cardinals meeting in Rome on Monday have set May 7 as the start date for the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis, the Vatican spokesman said.
The cardinals will take part in a solemn mass at St Peter's Basilica, after which those eligible to vote will gather in the Sistine Chapel for the secretive ballot, spokesman Matteo Bruni said.
