The conclave is a time-honored process conducted in secrecy behind the locked doors of the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel.

Francis, who took his name after Saint Francis of Assisi, was known for his outreach to the poor and those in poverty and that will be reflected in his minimalist burial at Saint Mary Major. He is the first pope to be buried outside the Vatican in over a century and the first to be buried at Santa Maria Maggiore in more than 300 years.

Catholic cardinals will assemble for the election of the next leader of the church on May 7, after the funeral of Pope Francis last Saturday.

With 135 cardinals eligible to vote, the coming conclave is set to be the largest in the history of the Catholic Church and one of the most unpredictable in decades.

Catholic cardinals on Monday set May 7 as the start date for the conclave to elect Pope Francis’ successor, delaying the secret voting for two days to help them get to know one another