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Pope Francis' death on Monday sets in motion weeks-long series of events, from a period of mourning to the process of selecting his successor.
The Vatican has an intricate set of rules governing the papal transition, a process the world doesn't get to watch unfold very often.
Pope Francis was chosen for the job in March 2013, several weeks after Pope Benedict XVI resigned from his post — a rare move that he blamed on his advanced age and diminishing strength. He died at age 95 in December 2022.
The most recent pope to die in office was the previous pontiff, Pope John Paul II. He died in April 2005 at age 84, after 26 years in the papacy.
Here's what happened after:
1. The pope's death is confirmed
The pope's death is supposed to be immediately verified and communicated to relevant parties, as Father Thomas Reese, then-editor in chief of America, told NPR in 2005.
The prefect of the papal household tells the camerlengo — in 2025, that's Cardinal Kevin Farrell — who must verify the pope's death in the presence of the papal master of ceremonies, the cleric prelates of the Apostolic Camera and the secretary of the Apostolic Camera, who draws up a death certificate.
Then the camerlengo and prefect of the papal household pass the news to various officials in the Vatican, who relay it to the people of Rome and the heads of nations.
"Although this is the formal procedure, in fact most people will first hear of the death of the pope from the media," Reese said.
John Paul II died at 9:37 p.m. on April 2, 2005 — six days after Easter. The Vatican Press Office informed journalists of his death via email exactly 17 minutes later.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista announced the pope's death to tens of thousands of people who had gathered for a vigil in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City. The crowd grew silent, and some people clapped in tribute.
2. The papal apartments are locked
The camerlengo locks and seals the pope's apartment.
While looting ("by staff, the cardinals or the Roman populace") was a concern in the past, modern popes are more concerned that their private papers stay out of the wrong hands.
The camerlengo destroys the pope's fisherman's ring and seal — traditionally with a special hammer, per Britannica — to symbolize the end of his reign and prevent misuse, like forging documents.
John Paul II's ring and seal were destroyed in a symbolic ritual on April 16, 2005 — at the end of the nine-day mourning period and before the start of the conclave.
3. The mourning period lasts nine days
A pope's death is followed by a nine-day mourning period called the novemdiales. The cardinals arrange for the funeral rites to be observed during this time.
This is also when a pope lies in state. Approximately 1 million mourners visited John Paul II's body as it lay in state — first in the Apostolic Palace for staff and then St. Peter's Basilica for public viewing — for several days before his funeral on April 8.
According to Reese, the date for the funeral and burial is set by the College of Cardinals, but the apostolic constitution states it is to "take place, except for special reasons, between the fourth and sixth day after death."
Francis wrote in his 2025 autobiography that he found the customary service "excessive."
"So I have arranged with the master of ceremonies to lighten it: no catafalque, no ceremony for the closure of the casket, nor the deposition of the cypress casket into a second of lead and a third of oak," he wrote.
4. Burial occurs within four to five days
The camerlengo is tasked with arranging the funeral in accordance with instructions the pope leaves behind.
John Paul II's funeral took place six days after his death in Saint Peter's Square, at 10 a.m. local time on April 8.
The three-hour ceremony was conducted by the dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, with help from some 164 cardinals.
About 2 million people watched online, and the long list of dignitaries who attended in person included four kings, five queens and at least 70 presidents and prime ministers, according to DemocracyNow.
John Paul II was buried immediately afterward in the crypt of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. Pope Francis wrote in his memoir that he has a different final resting place in mind"
"When it happens, I will not be buried in Saint Peter's but at Santa Maria Maggiore," he wrote, referring to one of the four Papal Basilicas in Rome. "The Vatican is the home of my last service, not my eternal home."
5. The conclave choses the next pope
The camerlengo is the acting head of the Vatican until the next pope is chosen and organizes the election process, which is called the conclave.
All cardinals under 80 years of age when the pope dies have the right to vote for the next pope — 115 of them voted in 2005. The process involves multiple rounds of voting over several days.
The conclave traditionally begins 15 to 20 days after the pope's death (the College of Cardinals sets the date and time). All of the conclaves since the 1900s have lasted less than four days — the last conclave to run more than five days was in 1831, and it lasted for 54.
The election takes place in the Sistine Chapel and is completely secret. But the public can watch the chimney for hints — black smoke means the cardinals will need to vote again; white smoke means a new pope has been chosen.
In 2005, the conclave began on the afternoon of April 18 — 16 days after the pope's death, and 10 days after his funeral. It lasted just two days, ending on April 19 when Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected after just four ballots.
After the vote, the winning candidate is asked two questions: Do they accept their election, and what name will they chose? Then official documents are filled out, the new pope is fitted with papal attire — there are typically three sets of garments at the ready — and the news is announced to the public.
The senior cardinal deacon appears on the balcony over St. Peter's Square and announces "Habemus Papam!" — "We have a pope!"
Ratzinger was announced as Pope Benedict XVI on April 19 and installed as pope with Mass on April 24. He made his first foreign trip, to his native Germany, in August of that year.
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