Cardinals arriving for the first day of informal meetings after Pope Francis’ funeral were swarmed at the city-state’s gates by journalists eager for hints of whether any consensus was building around the election of a successor.

A cardinal convicted of financial crimes by the Vatican is claiming he can take part in the forthcoming conclave despite being listed as a “non-elector.”

Roman Catholic cardinals will begin their secret conclave to elect the new leader of the global Church on May 7, the Vatican said, confirming what a source had previously told Reuters.