Pope Francis Death Update: Seals Placed on Pope's Residence

Seals have been placed on the apartment where Pope Francis had resided as cardinals meet to decide on the arrangements for the funeral of the pontiff.

The Vatican News reported that the rite confirming the death and the placement of Pope Francis's body in the coffin took place on Monday in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta in Vatican City.

The Vatican's top doctor Andrea Arcangeli said that Pope Francis had died from a stroke, followed by a coma and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse.

Italian media citing Vatican sources have reported that the funeral is likely to take place on Saturday, April 26.

What To Know

The Vatican has released images of Pope Francis in an open coffin in the chapel of Casa Santa Marta during which the declaration of death was read aloud.

Cardinals were meeting Tuesday morning in the Vatican to decide on arrangements including the date for Francis' funeral and when his body will be moved into St Peter's Basilica before burial so the public can pay their respects.

According to the apostolic constitution, known as the Universi Dominici Gregis, the service should happen "between the fourth and sixth day after death."

This would put the funeral between Friday, April 25, or Liberation Day in Italy, a national holiday, and Sunday, April 27. Italian media outlets are reporting the service is likely to be scheduled for Saturday.

Also up for discussion is when the conclave will be held to elect his successor which involves 135 cardinals, usually between 15 and 20 days after his death.

In a statement to Newsweek, Eric LeCompte, executive director of Jubilee USA Network, which advises Vatican and Catholic Church leadership, said that Francis had appointed most of the current cardinals who will elect the next pope and so the direction he set for a more transparent and inclusive church, will continue.

As the former Catholic leader of his home country Argentina, where he saw firsthand the impacts of poverty on people, Pope Francis spoke differently than past popes on debt and the financial crisis because of his experience, LeCompte said.

"The focus that Pope Francis had announced for global debt relief and new processes to aid the poor for this Jubilee Year would continue as the central themes," LeCompte added. "The next Pope will likely share the same vision as Francis for our world and for the Church."

Two ecclesiastics will also present two meditations on the problems facing the Catholic Church and what considerations should be taken when selecting the next Pope.

In his final testament, Pope Francis expressed his wish to be buried in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome. He also asked for a tomb "without ornamentation" and with only the inscription "Franciscus."

Italian media outlets have shared an unpublished work Pope Francis had written in February which is a preface of a soon-to-be published book by Cardinal Angelo Scola.

The pontiff wrote that death "is not the end but the start of something" as he said that it meant "we will experience something that we have never fully experienced: eternity."

What People Are Saying

Pope Francis's final testament: "I ask that my mortal remains rest, awaiting the day of resurrection, in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major...I ask that my tomb be prepared in the burial niche in the side nave between the Pauline Chapel (Chapel of the Salus Populi Romani) and the Sforza Chapel of the aforementioned Papal."

Eric LeCompte, executive director of Jubilee USA Network: "Francis appointed the majority of the current Cardinals who will elect the next Pope. The direction that Francis set for a more transparent and inclusive Church, will continue when a new Pope is elected."

What Happens Next

Mourners from around the world have been queueing to visit St Peter's Square in Vatican City on Tuesday. The funeral is likely to take place this weekend and will be attended by world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Donald Trump, whose Vice President JD Vance spoke with the pontiff just before he died.