It will be at least 15 days until the Conclave, where cardinals convene in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel to select a successor.

Unlike most of his predecessors, Francis will be buried in the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in the Esquilino neighborhood of Rome after his body is placed in state in St. Peter’s Basilica for an official period of mourning.

Just yesterday, on Easter Sunday, Francis welcomed Catholic faithful who had flocked to see him in St. Peter’s Square. After the high holiday service, he gave his ‘Urbi et Orbi’ benediction from a balcony facing the Piazza.

US Vice President JD Vance, who was spending Easter in Rome with his family, had a brief meeting with Francis on his way to the basilica. ‘Brief’: The Vatican described the meeting as lasting only a few minutes.

Francis was selected to succeed Pope Benedict XVI, who was retiring, making him the first non-European pope in 1,300 years.

 

Francis had maintained a hectic routine until his last weeks, despite a number of prior health problems and decreased mobility brought on in part by his growing years and swollen waist.

He visited Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Singapore on his 12-day tour of south-east Asia and Oceania in September 2024.

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Francis will be known for his rather liberal views on a number of issues, which made him both well-liked and divisive.

He made environmental concerns the focal point of his pontificate, showed tolerance for divorcees, and permitted priests to bless same-sex couples in some situations.