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 better and find consensus on a candidate before they are sequestered in the Sistine Chapel.

The ancient process for selecting a new leader for the Catholic Church is shrouded in secrecy, but a look at the people who will be making the decision may offer some clues into how they'll vote.

The world's Catholic cardinals met on Monday for the first time after the funeral of Pope Francis to discuss a possible date to enter a secret conclave and elect the next leader of the global Church.