Conclave starts May 7, cardinals say new pope must tackle abuse

Catholic cardinals agreed on Monday to begin a conclave on May 7 to elect a new pope, and highlighted clerical sexual abuse as one of the key challenges facing Pope Francis’s successor.

Cardinals under the age of 80 will meet in the Sistine Chapel to choose a new leader for the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, in a mystery-shrouded ritual dating back to the Middle Ages.

The date was decided at a meeting of cardinals of all ages early on Monday, two days after the funeral of Francis, who died on…