Cardinals decide the date of the conclave to elect Francis's successor

The cardinals are scheduled to decide this Monday the date of the next conclave to elect the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church's 1.4 billion faithful following the death of Pope Francis.

The meeting of the so-called "princes of the Church" to select a date was scheduled for 9:00 a.m. local time (7:00 a.m. GMT). The conclave could begin on May 5 or 6, after the nine days of mourning decreed by the Vatican.

(Read also: Francis' burial, another pilgrimage destination in Rome )

The first Latin American pontiff was buried on Saturday after a solemn farewell in the presence of international leaders and 400,000 people.

The cardinals were summoned to Rome to elect the new pope. Of the 135 eligible to vote—because they are under 80 years old—80% were appointed by Francis.

But they come from all over the world and many don't know each other.

Patricia Spotti hopes the new pontiff "will be like the Pope who passed away, like Francis." "He must have a personality that is open to everyone," the 68-year-old told AFP , traveling from Milan to Rome for the Holy Year, which is being celebrated in 2025.

Many faithful fear that the new pope will represent a step backward from the legacy of the Argentine Jesuit, marked by the fight against sexual abuse of minors in the Church, a greater role for women and lay people, and the defense of the poor and migrants.

"Our hope is to find someone who resembles Francis, who is not the same but continues," Argentine cardinal Ángel Sixto Rossi, 66, told the press. "It's possible he will start on the 5th," he said, referring to the start of the conclave.

"It's difficult to say what we imagine the profile of the new pope to be," said 83-year-old Italian Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi, who does not have the right to vote. There must be "continuity but also forward movement, not just repeating the past."

Spanish Cardinal José Cobo told El País that there will be "nothing predictable." "If Francis has been the pope of surprises, so will this conclave," he said in an interview published Sunday.

The conclave, held behind closed doors in the Sistine Chapel, has aroused fascination for centuries.

Edward Berger's recent film of the same name, which won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay in March, further popularized it.

"More than half of us will experience our first conclave. It's an opportunity to show the world that movies like 'Conclave' and others like it aren't reality," Spanish Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero told the official Vatican News.

The film takes place during the process of electing a new pope, in closed-door meetings. The fictional story plays on the tensions between Vatican factions.

But the divisions within the Church are not a fiction. The reforms promoted by Francis and his straightforward style have sparked criticism among more conservative sectors, who are pushing for a more doctrinally focused change.

"Today we need to unite, not divide," warned 81-year-old Cardinal Jean Zerbo of Mali on Sunday after a prayer by cardinals at Francis's tomb.

German Cardinal Reinhard Marx expects a conclave of just "a few days."

But Roberto Regoli, a professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University, believes it won't be a quick turnaround. "We are in a period in which Catholicism is experiencing various polarizations," he said, and the cardinals will have to "find someone who knows how to forge greater unity."

With conflicts and diplomatic crises spreading across the world, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin appears to be one of the favorites. He served as Secretary of State under Pope Francis after serving as nuncio to Venezuela.

British bookmaker William Hill has him ahead of Filipino Luis Antonio Tagle, followed by Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson and fellow Italian Matteo Zuppi.