According to The New York Times, the process of choosing a pope to replace Benedict XVI as head of the Catholic Church will begin Tuesday, March 12 with the convocation of cardinals. The convocation will answer the anticipated question of who will replace the first pope to resign in almost six centuries. The cardinals settled on this date after five meetings and after cutting the final meeting short. The date was settled within half an hour of the fifth meeting, implying that the cardinals are closer to deciding on the qualities they want in the pope, according to the Times. The cardinals will attend a mass on Tuesday in St. Peter’s Basilica before entering the Sistine Chapel and initiating an anonymous voting and balloting process, which will continue until one candidate earns a two-thirds majority vote.