Pope Francis died at age 88 on April 21, setting off a series of centuries-old rituals to select a new leader of the Catholic Church.

The conclave to elect the new pope will kick off next week as the Roman Catholic Church enters its first whole week without a leader following the death of Pope Francis.

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.