Cardinals to elect new Pope on May 7, pre-conclave discussions underway

(Web Desk): Ahead of the election of a new pope, cardinals of the Catholic Church held their ninth closed-door meeting on Saturday, continuing a series of daily discussions at the Vatican.

These gatherings, known as “general congregations,” allow the cardinals to reflect on the challenges the next pontiff will face before entering the formal conclave process.

On Wednesday, 133 cardinal-electors will be locked inside the Sistine Chapel, where they will vote in secret until a two-thirds majority is reached for the next leader of the Catholic Church.

Cardinals walked through crowds of pilgrims and reporters early Saturday but offered few comments about the process or the duration of the conclave.

“We do not know, we just wait for the Lord to tell us,” said Cardinal William Goh, Archbishop of Singapore, considered one of the more conservative members of the College of Cardinals.

The cardinals were summoned to Rome from across the globe following the death of Pope Francis on April 21. Francis, originally from Argentina, served as pope for 12 years and was known for his reformist agenda and efforts to modernise the Church.

“We recognise his achievement, but no pope is perfect, no one is able to do everything, so we will find the best person to succeed St Peter,” Goh told reporters.

Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, Archbishop of Algiers, expressed hope that the conclave would choose a leader aligned with Francis' direction. “We must discover the one the Lord has already chosen,” Vesco said. “We could have had much more time praying together, but I am sure that at the right moment we will be ready and we will give the Church the pope that the Lord has wanted.”

The upcoming election is being closely followed by the Church’s 1.4 billion members worldwide. It has also drawn attention from outside religious circles.

On Friday, US President Donald Trump posted a digitally altered image of himself dressed as the pope on his social media platform, Truth Social, joking that he would like the job.

The conclave is set to begin on May 7. Until a new pope is elected, the Church remains under the governance of the College of Cardinals.