Pope Francis has died at the age of 88. The Vatican announced that at 07:35 local time on Easter Monday the head of the Roman Catholic Church “returned to the house of the Father” at his residence, Casa Santa Marta. He was the first Latin American pope in the Church’s history.
Following tradition, the pontiff’s death was confirmed by the head of the Vatican’s health department and the cardinal chamberlain (camerlengo, in Italian) Kevin Joseph Farrell.
The Pope’s body will now be taken to his chapel for a private ceremony, in which it will be placed in a single coffin – a departure from the three nested coffins common in previous pontiffs’ funerals.
The last 10 popes of the Catholic Church
Pope Francis himself chose to scale back some of the funerary pomp and ceremony. In 2024, he simplified what would be his funeral rites. This time, there will be no private viewing for cardinals and a public viewing will take place in St Peter’s Basilica after a procession led by the camerlengo.
Inside the church, however, the Pope’s body will remain in the coffin, which won’t be raised on a pedestal.
Pope Francis will, like his predecessor, be buried with some items that symbolise his time as Supreme Pontiff and his achievements.
Those are the pallium, a vestment used only by the pontiff and metropolitan archbishops; the rogito, a deed that summarises the highlights of Francis’s time as Pope, and bags of silver, gold and copper coins in number equal to the years of his papacy.
In a 2023 interview, Pope Francis revealed he already had a tomb prepared for him in his favourite church, the Basilica of St Mary Major.
The basilica also houses the tombs of other popes and is located close to Rome’s main railway station. Even though it sits on Italian soil, the church is considered to be Vatican territory.
Map showing the location of the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome, close to the Roma Termini railway station
The funeral and burial rituals for Pope Francis will culminate on Saturday.
Following the Pope’s death, the cardinal chamberlain sealed his apartment in Casa Santa Marta, where he chose to live during his papacy.
The camerlengo destroys the Pope’s fisherman’s ring, a signet used to sign documents, in front of the College of Cardinals using a ceremonial hammer.
This is the beginning of the Sede vacante period, when the Catholic Church is without a Pope and prepares for the conclave – the secret meeting where cardinals elect a new Pope.
What does the Pope do?
The Pope leads the Catholic Church and is seen as St Peter’s successor, giving him authority over its 1.4 billion followers. Catholics believe this connects him directly to Jesus Christ, making him a key source of spiritual guidance.
Alongside the Bible, his teachings help shape the Church’s beliefs and practices. Other Christian denominations, such as Protestants and Orthodox Christians, do not recognise his authority.
Choosing the pontiff
135 cardinals are under the age of 80, which makes them eligible to select Pope Francis’s successor.
Pope Francis appointed 108 of the 135 cardinals. This increases – but does not guarantee – the possibility that the next Pope will share his vision of a more progressive, inclusive Catholic Church.
Most of the voting cardinals are from Europe, a trend that has persisted for centuries.
But the Catholic Church’s geographical centre of gravity is shifting. Asian cardinals, historically under-represented, now account for nearly a quarter of the men who could be part of the conclave.
Once Francis is buried, the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, has 15 to 20 days to summon the cardinals to Rome.
Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-904185ba-2600-4d37-9419-9204b4da5167