Conclave to replace Pope Francis to begin May 7, Vatican says

ROME and LONDON -- The papal conclave to replace Pope Francis will begin Wednesday, May 7, the Vatican said on Monday.

Cardinals will convene at the Vatican to begin a process of choosing a new pope, who will become the Catholic Church's 267th leader.

The announcement follows a weekend of prayer and reflection at the Vatican, where world leaders and the faithful gathered on Saturday for a funeral mass.

Francis, who died last Monday at the age of 88, was buried on Saturday in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.

The cardinals who will choose the new pope will meet in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel, which closed to the public as of Monday, according to a notice posted on the Vatican museum's website.