Cardinals yet indecisive about popes' election

Cardinals yet indecisive about popes' election
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Summary Cardinals had not yet decided on a start date for a conclave to elect a new pope.

 

VATICAN CITY (AFP) - The Vatican on Thursday said cardinals had not yet decided on a start date for a conclave to elect a new pope after the resignation of Benedict XVI.

 

"There has been no decision on a date for the conclave," Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said after the latest in a series of meetings of cardinals from around the world that began on Monday.

 

Lombardi also denied a media report that St Peter s Basilica had been booked for a special pre-conclave mass on Monday.

 

Lombardi said Vietnamese cardinal Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Man -- the last of the 115 "cardinal electors" who can take part in the conclave -- was expected to arrive in Rome later on Thursday.

 

Divisions have emerged between some cardinals who want more time for pre-conclave discussions on the reforms needed for the Catholic Church and others who want to move to a conclave right away.

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