Cardinals Jean-Marc Noel Aveline and Wilton Daniel Gregory presided over masses at separate churches in Rome on the final Sunday (May 4) before the start of conclave.

France's Aveline, the 66-year-old archbishop of Marseille, is considered as "papabile" – a possible pope – to succeed Francis.

He is known for his ideological proximity to Francis, especially on immigration and relations with the Muslim world.

If he got the top job, Aveline would become the first French pope since the 14th century, a turbulent period in which the papacy moved to Avignon.

Wilton Daniel Gregory, formerly the archbishop of Washington, was the Church's first African American cardinal when he was appointed by Francis in 2020.

He was presiding over a mass at Saint Mary Immaculate Parish, a church on the outskirts of Rome.

Some of the 133 cardinals expected to enter the Sistine Chapel on May 7 have been possible contenders to papacy for years. Others will rise to the fore only during the current daily meetings, known as general congregations, where the Church's future is discussed.

(Production: Marco Trujillo, Veronica Altimare, Christophe Van Der Perre, Matteo Negri, Francesca Halliwell)