Update on conclave start date
We now know that the first meeting of the General Congregation, which brings together all the cardinals during the run-up to the conclave, is set for 9:30 a.m. Monday in Rome. In a break with practice from the last time around, the cardinals will also go back into the General Congregation on Monday afternoon.
The sessions will be held in the Vatican's synod hall, where meetings of synods of bishops take place. Among other things, it's among the few Vatican venues properly equipped to provide simultaneous translation.
As a reminder, all the cardinals are eligible to participate in the General Congregation meetings, not just the 115 under 80 who will actually cast ballots in the conclave. At the moment, there are a total of 207 cardinals, after the death Thursday of French Cardinal Jean Marcel Honoré at 92. Not all 207, however, will participate in the General Congregations; we'll know Monday how many actually showed up.
It's not a slam dunk that we'll get a firm date Monday, because not all the cardinals have yet arrived in Rome. For instance, Cardinal John Onaiyekan of Abuja, Nigeria, a big personality who's always in demand on the lecture circuit, told me Thursday that he just finished giving a speech in Vienna and is on his way to Oslo on Friday, so he won't arrive in Rome until Sunday night.
Given that some cardinals are still arriving, we'll have to wait until Monday to see if a consensus emerges quickly, or if they'll need more time to reach agreement.
The Vatican Press Office has said it will hold briefings each day at 1 p.m. Rome time, meaning 7 a.m. on the East Coast, which on Monday might be the first window of opportunity for the announcement of an official date.
[Follow John Allen on Twitter: @JohnLAllenJr]