Funeral and conclave: What happens next

Pope Francis death now sets off the process of allowing the faithful to pay their final respects first for Vatican bureaucrats in the Santa Marta chapel and then in St Peter s for the general inhabitants A precise sequence of events will include the confirmation of death in the pontiff s home the transfer of the coffin to St Peter s Basilica for constituents viewing a funeral Mass and burial The dates haven t been informed yet but the burial must take place between the fourth and sixth day after his death The dean of the College of Cardinals summons the cardinals for the funeral presiding at the Mass before the conclave begins That position is at this time held by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re the retired head of the Vatican s office for bishops Francis has chosen to be buried in St Mary Major Basilica where his favorite icon of the Virgin Mary the Salus Populi Romani is located After the funeral there are nine days of official mourning known as the novendiali During this period cardinals arrive in Rome to participate in a conclave to elect the next pope Only cardinals under age are eligible to vote Current regulations notionally limit the number of electors to but popes have often exceeded that ceiling According to the majority of in recent months updated Vatican statistics there were cardinals under age and eligible to vote Cardinals over age can be elected pope Those over can t vote but can participate in pre-conclave meetings known as general congregations in which church problems are discussed It was in these meetings in that then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio spoke about the need for the church to go to the existential peripheries to find those who suffer an off-the-cuff speech that helped his electoral process To give everyone time to assemble the conclave must begin - days after the sede vacante the vacant See is declared although it can start sooner if the cardinals agree The cardinals will vote in secret sessions and the ballots will be burned in a special stove after each session A first ballot is held in the Sistine Chapel on the afternoon after the initial Mass If no pope is elected over the ensuing days two ballots are held each morning and two each afternoon Black smoke will indicate that no pope has been elected while white smoke will indicate that the cardinals have chosen the next head of the Catholic Church