The road to the conclave will begin on May 7.

The conclave to elect Francis's successor will begin on May 7 in the Sistine Chapel, following the decision taken this Monday by the cardinals at the fifth general congregation. The first vote will take place in the afternoon after the Mass "pro eligendo pontifice," confirmed Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni.

So far, more than 180 cardinals have been present at the general congregations, of which more than 100 are electors, according to the somewhat vague information provided by the spokesperson, who declined to confirm yet whether the 134 cardinals under 80 years of age expected will enter the Sistine Chapel, as some will arrive at the last minute for health reasons.

So far, only Spanish Cardinal Antonio Cañizares has publicly confirmed that he will not attend the conclave.

Twenty cardinals participated in this gathering, sharing their views on the Church and its relationship with the world, as well as the characteristics the new pope should possess in the face of these challenges, the spokesperson indicated.

The three cardinals who will assist the camerlengo, Kevin Joseph Farrell, in his task were also elected.

They are German Archbishop Reinhard Marx of Munich; Filipino Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization Luis Antonio Tagle; and Frenchman Dominique Mamberti, Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura and protodeacon, who will be in charge of announcing "Habemus papa" in St. Peter's Square.

The cardinals will begin gathering at Casa Santa Marta, the residence inside the Vatican where Francis lived during his pontificate. , on the evening of May 6, while on May 7 the cardinals will celebrate the mass "Pro eligendo pontífice" in St. Peter's, officiated by the dean cardinal, Giovanni Battista Re.

During the Eucharistic celebration, the dean will invite his brothers to go to the Sistine Chapel in the afternoon with these words: "The whole Church, united with us in prayer, constantly invokes the grace of the Holy Spirit, so that a worthy Shepherd of all the flock of Christ may be chosen by us."

From there, the procession to the Sistine Chapel, inside which the cardinals will sing the hymn Veni, Creator Spiritus and take the oath. Afterward, the voting will begin. There will be one or two votes, depending on the time available that afternoon after completing all the formal steps.

On the remaining days, there will be two votes in the morning and two in the afternoon. Ballots will only be burned after two counts if the votes are negative and the two-thirds majority, which would be approximately 88, is not reached.

However, the duties of the Cardinal Dean within the Sistine Chapel will be in the hands of the current Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, since neither Re nor the Vice Dean, the Argentine Leonardo Sandri, can enter the conclave because they are over 80 years old.

The morning meeting also addressed, though no decision was made, the possible participation of Cardinal Angelo Becciu. Francis stripped him of his cardinal privileges for his involvement in a financial scandal for which he has been convicted. Becciu insists he retains the right to participate in the conclave.