Pope Francis latest: Thousands of mourners view Pontiff’s open casket at St Peter’s

23 April: Pope Francis’ coffin was transferred to St Peter’s Basilica to lie in state for three days of public viewing.

25 April: A ceremony closing the coffin will take place in the evening.

26 April: The funeral service and a nine-day mourning period will begin.

6 May 2025: The earliest date the papal conclave can begin, where cardinals vote on the next pope.

With Pope Francis’ death on Monday, the spotlight now shifts to the 134 cardinals under the age of 80 who will vote in the conclave to choose his successor.

The majority of the eligible cardinals were appointed by Francis, setting the stage for a successor who may follow his progressive, pastoral path.

The 88-year-old pontiff will be laid to rest Saturday in St. Peter’s Square, with a public funeral expected to draw world leaders and tens of thousands of mourners.

As the Catholic Church enters the “sede vacante”, Cardinal Kevin Farrell is overseeing the Holy See’s administrative and financial duties in the absence of a pope.

Cardinal Farrell was born on 2 September 1947 in Dublin. He became an ordained priest in 1978, serving for almost 40 years before Francis made him a cardinal in 2016.

He is the Camerlengo of the Church, meaning that he is in charge while the conclave takes place.

World leaders, royal family members, cardinals and hundreds of thousands of worshippers are expected to attend Pope Francis’ funeral on Saturday.

Cardinal George Alencherry from India will not be eligible to help choose the next pope as he turned 80 on 19 April, two days before the Pope died.

Vatican rules bar cardinals over 80 from voting in the conclave, which is expected to start on 5 May.

This means 134 of the 135 cardinal electors are eligible to vote on the next pope.

The cardinals who will take part in the Pope’s burial on Saturday have been confirmed by the Vatican.

On the list was Pietro Parolin, who was close to Francis and is thought to be one of the likely options to be the next pope.

Roger Mahoney from the US was also on the list, but no British cardinals were included.

Italian cardinal Giovanni Battista Re was already publically known as he will preside over the mass.