Cardinals set Tuesday as start date for conclave

  • By Nicole Winfield

    Associated Press

  • Saturday, March 9th, 2013
    French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin rides his bicycle in St. Peter's Square after a meeting at the Vatican, Friday, March 8, 2013. The Vatican says the conclave to elect a new pope will likely start in the first few days of next week. The Rev. Federico Lombardi told reporters that cardinals will vote Friday afternoon on the start date of the conclave but said it was

    French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin rides his bicycle in St. Peter's Square after a meeting at the Vatican, Friday, March 8, 2013. The Vatican says the conclave to elect a new pope will likely start in the first few days of next week. The Rev. Federico Lombardi told reporters that cardinals will vote Friday afternoon on the start date of the conclave but said it was "likely" they would choose Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. The cardinals have been attending pre-conclave meetings to discuss the problems of the church and decide who among them is best suited to fix them as pope. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

    Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos celebrates a mass for the election of the new pope, in St. Mary Major Basilica, in Rome, Friday, March 8, 2013. Cardinals have set Tuesday as the start date for the conclave to elect the next pope, signaling that they were wrapping up a week of discussions about the problems of the church and who best among them might lead it. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

    Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos celebrates a mass for the election of the new pope, in St. Mary Major Basilica, in Rome, Friday, March 8, 2013. Cardinals have set Tuesday as the start date for the conclave to elect the next pope, signaling that they were wrapping up a week of discussions about the problems of the church and who best among them might lead it. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

    This photo provide by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano shows the stoves where the ballots will be burned during the conclave, inside the Sistine Chapel, at the Vatican, Friday, March 8, 2013. Cardinals have set Tuesday March 12 as the start date for the conclave to elect the next pope, signaling that they were wrapping up a week of discussions about the problems of the church and who best among them might lead it. The conclave date was set on Friday afternoon during a vote by the College of Cardinals. Tuesday will begin with a Mass in the morning in St. Peter's Basilica, followed by the first balloting in the Sistine Chapel in the afternoon. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, ho) (

    This photo provide by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano shows the stoves where the ballots will be burned during the conclave, inside the Sistine Chapel, at the Vatican, Friday, March 8, 2013. Cardinals have set Tuesday March 12 as the start date for the conclave to elect the next pope, signaling that they were wrapping up a week of discussions about the problems of the church and who best among them might lead it. The conclave date was set on Friday afternoon during a vote by the College of Cardinals. Tuesday will begin with a Mass in the morning in St. Peter's Basilica, followed by the first balloting in the Sistine Chapel in the afternoon. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, ho) (