By Philip Pullella, Joshua McElwee and Crispian Balmer VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Roman Catholic cardinals will begin their secret conclave to elect the new leader of the global Church on May 7, the Vatican said on Monday,

About 130 cardinals will be able to vote on a successor for Francis, and a two-thirds majority is needed to elect the new head of the Roman Catholic Church.

Pope Francis's death at the age of 88 means the Catholic Church must choose a new leader. Here's how cardinals elect the next pontiff at the conclave.