Overview

• Pope Francis's body is on public display in a simple wooden casket at St. Peter's Basilica, with tens of thousands of mourners paying their respects daily.
• The Vatican has announced a nine-day mourning period, the Novendiale, with daily ceremonies to honor the late pope through May 4.
• The funeral will take place on April 26 at Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore, fulfilling Francis's testamentary wish for humble rites and burial.
• Rome is bracing for over 200,000 attendees and 170 international delegations, with heightened security and logistical measures in place.
• The conclave to elect the next pope is expected to begin in early May, with 133 eligible cardinals set to participate in the secretive process.