All 133 eligible Cardinal electors are now in Rome as the College of Cardinals held its tenth General Congregation on Monday to continue preparations for the conclave that will elect the next Pope, the Vatican has confirmed.
Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, said a total of 179 Cardinals participated in the session, with 26 making formal interventions on a wide range of issues facing the Church.
Among the key topics discussed were the role of Canon Law and the Vatican City State, the missionary identity of the Church, defending the poor through Caritas, unity amid division, and the role of women in the Church in light of synodality.
Other concerns raised included war, care for creation, faith transmission, and the importance of Vatican II documents, especially Dei Verbum, on Scripture as spiritual nourishment.
Cardinals also reflected on the global relevance of the Gospel, as signaled by strong media interest, and recalled the role of prayer during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, announced that Cardinal Camerlengo Kevin Farrell had drawn lots on Saturday to assign rooms at Casa Santa Marta and the old Santa Marta residence, where all electors will be housed during the conclave.
The Cardinals will have access to the Sistine Chapel along a protected route, with preparations for the conclave nearly complete.
Access for journalists is now restricted as the Vatican Gendarmerie has secured the chapel. However, official images of the interior will be released.
The conclave is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, May 7.