Pope Francis has died: A step-by-step guide to what happens in next days | Religion News

Pope Francis has died aged 88, the Vatican announced on April 21, 2025.

His death came one day after a brief appearance to thousands gathered in St Peter’s Square for the Vatican’s open-air Easter Sunday mass.

Here is more about Pope Francis, and what happens now:

Who was Pope Francis?

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 17, 1936.

He later chose Francis as his name to honour Saint Francis of Assisi.

Francis was declared pope on March 13, 2013, becoming the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics after his predecessor, Benedict XVI, became the first pope to resign in 600 years.

Francis challenged the conventions followed by pontiffs before him. He pushed for a more transparent Vatican, connected to the concerns of common people and engaged with other faiths.

During Christmas address in 2024, Francis denounced the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza, saying: “May there be a ceasefire, may the hostages be released and aid be given to the people worn out by hunger and by war”.

He would repeat his message of concern for Gaza in his address at the Easter mass, a day before his death. Briefly appearing on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica on Sunday, he condemned the “deplorable humanitarian situation” caused by Israel’s 18-month war on the Palestinian territory.

Francis also assembled an advisory council of cardinals and launched a probe into the Vatican Bank, which was accused of money laundering and corruption.

He promised to investigate church abuses, establishing the first papal commission to look into that. He also launched a global system for Catholics to report cases of abuse and cover-ups.

But critics accused the pontiff of opposing reforms that would have addressed the problem of sexual abuse by clerics.

What was the cause of the Pope’s death?

Pope Francis suffered severe complications in recent weeks after a bout of double pneumonia for which he spent five weeks in hospital.

He was admitted to hospital in Rome on February 14 for bronchitis, which he had been diagnosed with eight days prior but he continued to preside over general audiences and an outdoor mass.

He was released on March 23, with expectations that he would resume his duties gradually.

What do we know about the funeral, the burial and the next days?

The pope’s passing marks the beginning of nine days of mourning called the Novendiale.

His body is dressed in papal vestments and placed in St Peter’s Basilica for public viewing. Hundreds and thousands of people line up to pay their respects.

Here is what typically happens after a pope passes away.

Location and timing

The funeral will likely take place in St Peter’s Square, with a service led by the dean of the College of Cardinals. The current dean is Giovanni Battista Re, 91.

Who attends

Dignitaries from all over the world attend the funeral mass for the pontiffs.

Pope John Paul II died in April 2005, his funeral becoming one of the largest gatherings of world leaders in history.

The attendees included four kings, five queens and about 70 presidents and prime ministers.

In total, approximately four million people attended the funeral.

Funeral mass

Daily prayer services and requiem masses will be held in Catholic churches worldwide and at St Peter’s Basilica.

Burial

The burial typically takes place four to six days after the death.

Previous popes have been buried in three coffins, cypress, lead and elm, placed one inside the other.

However, Francis wishes to be buried in one coffin made of wood and zinc. Francis’s predecessor was also buried with a paper scroll, or a rogito, which retells their life and papacy.

Popes are traditionally buried in the Vatican Grottoes on the lower level of Saint Peter’s Basilica. While not all popes are buried there, nearly 100 are, including Francis’s predecessor, Benedict XVI, who passed away in 2022.

However, Francis told an interview in 2023 that he wants to be buried in Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome’s Esquilino.

Only seven popes have been buried here, the last one being Clement IX in 1669.

The election of the new pope

After the death of a pope, the Vatican enters a transitional period called the sede vacante or interregnum, where power is handed over to the College of Cardinals, but no major decisions are made until the papacy is filled.

About 15-20 days after the pope’s death, cardinals under the age of 80 convene at the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, which is sealed off, to elect the new pontiff through a secret ballot.

Voting takes place in up to four rounds a day until a candidate wins two-thirds of the vote. If there is no decision after 33 rounds of voting, the top two candidates face off in a run-off vote.

Ballots are burned, and for every unsuccessful vote, black smoke is released from the Sistine Chapel.

Once the next pope is successfully elected, white smoke emerges from the chapel.