The Vatican is making preparations for the upcoming conclave that will choose the successor of Pope Francis, who died on Monday at the age of 88 years.
Citing the Vatican, it was reported that the pope died after suffering a stroke and cardiac arrest, and his funeral has been scheduled for Saturday.
It was reported that after nine days of mourning events, cardinals from around the world would meet in the Sistine Chapel to conduct a secret vote to elect the new pope.
The process generally takes two to three weeks and all ballots are burned afterward.
After the new pope is chosen, white smoke will rise from the chapel’s chimney, signaling a new era of leadership for the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
A mass to celebrate the 267th pope is expected to take place a few days later.
In the interim, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who was born in Ireland and became a naturalized American citizen, will serve as the ‘camerlengo’ (or chamberlain).
Farrell will be the one to prepare for the conclave, and handle the day-to-day administration of the Vatican.
