Preparations are underway at the Vatican as cardinals from across the world get ready to elect a new pope. The Vatican announced that the conclave will officially begin on May 7, following the funeral of Pope Francis, which was held Saturday.

Tourists have been barred from the Sistine Chapel so that it can be prepared for the secretive election process.

According to The Guardian: “The 135 cardinals eligible to vote will be sequestered between the chapel and their lodgings at Casa Santa Marta, the guesthouse where Pope Francis lived during his 12-year papacy, for however long it takes to pick a new pontiff.”

German Cardinal Reinhard Marx said to reporters he thinks the conclave will last "just a few days." However not all feel this way, with Swedish Cardinal Anders Arborelius, who is considered one of the candidates, noting it might take longer “because we don’t know each other."

Most of the voting cardinals come from Europe, with 53 electors. Asia follows with 23, then Africa with 18, South America with 17, North America with 16, and Central America and Oceania with four each. Together, they represent 17 different countries.

The first pre-conclave meeting among the cardinals took place shortly after the funeral, marking the official start of preparations for choosing the next leader of the Catholic Church.

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