World

Photo: The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Cardinal Renato Martino, left, leaves after a cardinals' meeting, at the Vatican, Thursday, March 7, 2013. Cardinals from around the world are gathered inside the Vatican on the fourth day of meetings before the conclave to elect the next pope, amid scandals inside and out of the Vatican and the continued reverberations of Benedict XVI's decision to retire. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

The last cardinal who will participate in the conclave to elect Benedict XVI's successor as pope has arrived in Rome.

Vietnamese Cardinal Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Man attended the Thursday afternoon session of the pre-conclave meetings in a Vatican audience hall after his flight landed earlier in the day. He said nothing to reporters as he arrived.

He was the last of the 115 cardinal electors to arrive in Rome, and his presence now means that the cardinals can set a date for the conclave.

It's not clear, however, if they will decide Thursday on a date or take more time to discuss the problems of the church and what type of pope could best fix them.