Overview

• Pope Francis, who passed away on Easter Monday at age 88, is lying in an open casket at St. Peter’s Basilica, drawing tens of thousands of mourners daily.
• The Basilica has extended its opening hours to accommodate the large crowds, with lines stretching over a kilometer and lasting through the night.
• The College of Cardinals has held three Generalkongregationen meetings since Tuesday, focusing on funeral arrangements and defining the desired profile for the next pope.
• The funeral mass is scheduled for Saturday at St. Peter’s Square, followed by Pope Francis’s burial at Santa Maria Maggiore as per his wishes.
• The papal conclave to elect his successor is expected to begin in early May, involving 135 cardinal electors from 71 countries, though an official date has yet to be set.