About 135 Roman Catholic cardinals will meet at Sistine Chapel to decide the next leader of the global church

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Roman Catholic cardinals will meet in a secret conclave to elect the new leader of the global church from 7 May, the Vatican said on Monday.

The date was decided during a closed-door meeting of cardinals at the Vatican, the first since the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday, a source said, speaking at the end of the gathering. An official announcement followed.