What happens next?

Pope Francis died on April 21, 2025, triggering a series of traditional and procedural events within the Vatican to mourn his passing and select a successor. Here’s what happens next, based on established Catholic Church protocols and recent updates:

1. Confirmation and Initial Rites: The death has already been confirmed by the Vatican’s health department director, Dr. Andrea Arcangeli, and the camerlengo, Cardinal Kevin Farrell. Farrell has sealed the papal apartments and destroyed the Pope’s Fisherman’s Ring and lead seal, symbolizing the end of Francis’ papacy. These actions prevent unauthorized use of papal authority.
2. Public Viewing and Mourning: Pope Francis’ body is prepared and dressed in papal vestments, placed in a simple wooden and zinc coffin (per his request for a simplified rite), and lies in state at St. Peter’s Basilica starting April 23, 2025, for public viewing. Hundreds of thousands of mourners, including world leaders, are expected to pay their respects. The nine-day mourning period, called the Novendiale, began after his death, rooted in ancient Roman tradition.
3. Funeral: As mandated by Church rules, the funeral is scheduled for Saturday, April 26, 2025, in St. Peter’s Square, four to six days after his death. It will be a public event led by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, with a simplified liturgy per Francis’ wishes, emphasizing his role as a humble bishop rather than a worldly figure.
4. Burial: Unlike most popes buried in the Vatican Grottoes, Francis requested burial at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, the first pope to be interred outside the Vatican in over a century. His coffin will contain coins from his papacy and a rogito, a document summarizing his life and works.
5. Papal Interregnum (Sede Vacante): The period between Francis’ death and the election of a new pope, known as the Sede Vacante, is underway. The College of Cardinals, led by the camerlengo, oversees limited administrative functions, but no major Church decisions are made.
6. Conclave to Elect a New Pope: The conclave, where 135 cardinal electors (under 80 years old) choose the next pope, must begin between May 5 and May 10, 2025, 15–20 days after Francis’ death, though it could start earlier if cardinals agree, per changes made by Pope Benedict XVI. Held in the Sistine Chapel, cardinals are isolated, voting in secret until a candidate secures a two-thirds-plus-one majority (90 votes). Ballots are burned after each round, with black smoke signalling no decision and white smoke indicating a new pope. The process typically takes a few days but can last longer.
7. Announcement and New Papacy: Once elected, the new pope is asked if he accepts and chooses a papal name. The dean of the College of Cardinals announces “Habemus Papam” (“We have a Pope”) from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, introducing the new pontiff, who blesses the crowd. The new pope then begins his papacy, addressing global issues facing the Church’s 1.4 billion Catholics.