Vatican sets date for pope election conclave

The Vatican has set Tuesday as the the start date for the conclave that will elect the next pope.

The Roman Catholic Church's press office said the decision was taken after a vote by cardinals on Friday.

Tuesday will begin with a Mass in the morning, followed by the first round of balloting in the afternoon.

All of the 115 cardinal electors will vote for the next leader of the 1.2 billion-member Catholic Church.