The status of an Italian cardinal is being debated as preparations get under way for the May 7 conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis.

Cardinals arriving for the first day of meetings after Pope Francis’ funeral were swarmed at the city-state’s gates by journalists eager for hints of whether any consensus is building around the elect

The Vatican is closing the Sistine Chapel to the public as part of its preparations for the the conclave to elect the next pope after the death of Pope Francis

The bells of St. Peter’s Basilica tolled to mark the end of the funeral of Pope Francis in Vatican City, where throngs of mourners had gathered to give a final send-off to a pontiff who was celebrated during the service as a champion of migrants and the poor.

Most of the funeral will be celebrated in Latin, and there will be incense and hymns and Gregorian chants. Attended by dozens of heads of state, monarchs and other dignitaries, it will be, in any case, a spectacle. And at the center of it all will be Francis’ simple coffin, on the esplanade of St. Peter’s Basilica.

Typically, popes are laid to rest beneath St. Peter's Basilica. On Saturday, Francis became the first Catholic leader in over 120 years to be buried outside the holy city, according to Vatican News.