Roman Catholic cardinals will begin their secret conclave to elect the new leader of the global Church on May 7, the Vatican said, confirming what a source had previously told Reuters.

Catholic cardinals on Monday set May 7 as the start date for the conclave to elect Pope Francis' successor, delaying the secret voting for two days so they can get to know one another better and find consensus on a candidate before they are sequestered in the Sistine Chapel.

Cardinals arriving for the first day of meetings after Pope Francis’ funeral were swarmed at the city-state’s gates by journalists eager for hints of whether any consensus is building around the elect