Catholic cardinals have chosen May 7 as the start date for the conclave to elect Pope Francis’ successor, delaying the secret voting for two days so they can get to know one another better and find consensus on a candidate.

The cardinals set the date after arriving for the first day of informal meetings following Pope Francis’ funeral on Saturday.

The conclave could have opened as early as May 5 or 6, but the cardinals gave themselves extra time to speak in more informal sessions that include cardinals over age 80, who will not be allowed into the Sistine Chapel once the conclave begins.

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“There is the hope of unity,” said Argentine Cardinal Angel Sixto Rossi, the 66-year-old Archbishop of Cordoba who Francis made a cardinal in 2023.

Many cardinals cited the desire to continue Francis’ pastoral focus on people who are marginalised and against war.

But conservatives may be more focused on forging unity and refocusing the church back to core doctrines emphasised by St John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, rather than continuing Francis’ social justice focus and outreach to women and gays.

British Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the 79-year-old Archbishop of Westminster, was adamant that the church must strive for unity, and he downplayed divisions.

“The role of the Pope is to essentially hold us together and that’s the grace we’ve been given from God,” Cardinal Nichols said.

Pope Francis’ modest tomb drew massive queues on the first day of public viewing in Rome on Sunday, a day after an estimated 400,000 people turned out for his funeral and burial.

Tens of thousands flocked to Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica — Francis’ final resting place — in another testament to the popularity of the Argentinian.

Italian cardinal Pietro Parolin — who was secretary of state under Francis and is a frontrunner to become the next Pope — led Mass on Sunday morning in St Peter’s Square, which drew 200,000 people according to the Vatican.

On Sunday, most joined the crowds at Santa Maria Maggiore, to attend a ceremony in tribute to the late Pontiff.