Cardinals who will take part in the secret conclave to elect a new Catholic pope checked into their Vatican hotels, where they will be barred from contact with the outside world as they decide who should succeed Pope Francis.   The conclave will start behind the closed doors of the Sistine Chapel in the afternoon on May 7, with all cardinals under the age of 80 able to vote on who should be the next leader of the 1.4-billion-member Church.   The race to succeed Francis, who died last month, is seen as wide open. Although a few names have been cited as possible front-runners, several of the 133 cardinals expected to vote in the conclave have said they do not know who will become the next pope. Gavino Garay is at the Vatican for a pulse-check.   🔗 Read what cardinals Reuters spoke to had to say at our link in bio.    #conclave #pope #vatican #vaticancity #stpeterssquare #stpetersbasilica #sistinechapel