Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church since 2013, has died, the Vatican confirmed on Monday.
The 88-year old had recently battled double pneumonia and a complex respiratory infection.
The most recent pope to die in office was Pope John Paul II, of heart and kidney failure in 2005. Francis has been leading the church since pope emeritus Benedict XVI resigned in 2013 — the first to do so in more than 600 years.
By the time Benedict died in 2022 at age 95, as pope emeritus, some small changes had been made to the funeral mass. We can also expect to see a simpler service for Francis compared to John Paul II's viewings and funeral, which amassed millions of mourners.
There are very specific rituals for a papal funeral, explained David Perlich, CBC's Vatican analyst. Historic rituals, some dating back hundreds of years or more, and a series of carefully planned procedures are likely already in motion, he added.
"It's a highly symbolic event, and a highly significant event. It's steeped in centuries of ritual," Perlich said.
But before he died, Francis revised some of the funeral rites, simplifying them, so they've taken away some of the more elaborate aspects, Perlich added.
Here's what we can expect to see happen over the next few days:
When a pope dies, a series of rites and rituals comes into play governing the "interregnum" — the period between the end of one pontificate and the election of a new pope. During that period, known as the "sede vacante," the camerlengo, or chamberlain, runs the administration and finances of the Holy See.
The camerlengo position is currently held by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the head of the Vatican's laity office.