Cardinals will meet next month in a secret conclave to elect the next pope, the Vatican has said.
The closed-door meeting will start inside the Sistine Chapel on May 7th, and will involve about 135 cardinals from across the world.
It follows the death of Pope Francis who died at the age of 88 on Easter Monday.
His funeral was held on Saturday.
A Vatican spokesman, said cardinals will take part in a solemn mass at St Peter’s Basilica, after which those eligible to vote will gather in the Sistine Chapel for the secretive ballot.
Once they enter the Chapel, the cardinals must have no communication with the outside world until a new Pope is elected.
There is only one round of voting on the first afternoon of the conclave, but the cardinals will vote up to four times every day afterwards.
A new pope requires a two-thirds majority.
