Trump jokes he would like to be next pope as Catholic Church prepares to select leader

​​​​​​​By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Donald Trump appeared to joke Tuesday that he would like to be the next pope as the Catholic Church prepares to select its leader following the death of Pope Francis.

"I would like to be pope. That would be my number one choice," Trump replied about his preference for Francis' successor. "I don't know. I have no preference. I must say, we have a cardinal out of a place called New York who's very good. So, we'll see what happens."

The Vatican announced Monday that cardinals from around the world will meet next month in a secret conclave to elect the next pope.

The closed-door gathering is set to begin May 7 inside the Sistine Chapel and will include 135 cardinals. The election process, steeped in centuries-old tradition, comes after Francis died Easter Monday.

His funeral was held Saturday.

There is no official timetable for how long the conclave may last, though the previous two papal elections, in 2005 and 2013, were each concluded within two days.