Catholic cardinals set May 7 as start date for conclave to elect Pope Francis' successor

The Vatican has officially announced that the conclave to elect the next pope will start on May 7.

It will follow the nine-day mourning period for Pope Francis, who died on April 21.

The upcoming conclave will be the largest in history, with 135 eligible cardinal electors under the age of 80 participating.

Preparations are underway, including the closure of the Sistine Chapel to the public and the installation of the traditional smoke chimney, which will signal the outcome of each voting round.

Black smoke will indicate no decision, and white smoke will announce the election of a new pope.

The conclave is expected to last several days, with a two-thirds majority required to elect the new pope.

Potential successors include Cardinals Pietro Parolin of Italy, Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines, Peter Turkson of Ghana, and Peter Erdo of Hungary.