Conclave begins election of next Pope May 7 – Vatican
By Uchenna Eletuo
The Conclave in the Vatican says it will begin the process of electing late Pope Francis’s successor by May 7.
The Vatican’s spokesman, Mr Matteo Bruni, said that the date was chosen during a closed-door meeting of the College of Cardinals and announced at a media briefing at the Vatican.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the death of Pope Francis has set the stage for an election of a new pope to oversee the running of the Catholic Church.
The Vatican said that the cardinals who would gather to elect the next pope must decide whether to continue the late pontiff’s vision of reforming the church to make it more open to the modern world or to initiate a course correction.
He noted that while there were a number of potential front-runners, there was no clear favourite and the race was generally considered to be wide open.
“The unpredictability of this conclave, as the gathering to elect the pope is known, adds a level of intrigue and suspense to the centuries-old process of picking the successor to St. Peter, the first Pope.
“The cardinals are gathering in general congregations, as the meetings are known, to make preparations for the election of a new pontiff.
“The meetings are crucial in determining the next pope because they involve frank discussions about the current and future needs of the Catholic Church.
“The process to select a new pope has already begun. Cardinals are meeting almost daily in pre-conclave gatherings.
The cardinals met earlier today (April 28) for the first time since the funeral and burial of Pope Francis on April 26.
“More than 180 cardinals attended the morning meeting, said Holy See Press spokesman.
“The general congregation meetings are open to all cardinals, but not all are eligible to vote or be voted for, for a new pope.
“To participate in the conclave, a cardinal must be under the age of 80. There are 135 eligible cardinal electors, 80 per cent of whom were elevated by Pope Francis.
“Although the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, has advised cardinals against speaking to the press, several cardinals have not been shy in expressing their wishes on a future pope,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Maureen Atuonwu
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