As the world continues to pay tribute to Pope Francis following his death yesterday at the age of 88, the Vatican released the Pontiff’s death certificate, which states he died from a stroke that prompted irreversible heart failure. The Vatican shared details of Francis’ final moments, saying that he started to feel unwell at around 5:30 a.m. on Monday and was promptly attended to by his team. Calling his passing “discreet and nearly sudden,” the Vatican’s official media channel said that after the Pope slipped into a coma, he did not endure prolonged suffering. His time of death was listed as 7:35 a.m. on Monday.

On Monday, the pontiff’s body was placed in a coffin within the chapel at Santa Marta, and the Vatican released  photos and footage on Tuesday showing Francis in a wooden coffin, dressed in a red liturgical robe, with the papal mitre on his head and a rosary entwined in his hands.

Following a meeting of the College of Cardinals held at the Holy See’s headquarters in central Rome, the Vatican also announced that the funeral for Pope Francis will be held at 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. Eastern Time) on Saturday at St. Peter’s Basilica.   On Wednesday morning, a solemn procession will transport the pope’s coffin from Casa Santa Marta, his place of residence and where he died, to St. Peter’s Basilica. Cardinals will accompany the transfer, marking the beginning of the formal funeral rites.

American Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Vatican’s interim administrator and an Irish-American prelate, has become the acting head of the Vatican until the College of Cardinals chooses the pope’s successor following his funeral. Farrell led both the procession and the ceremonial transfer of the pope’s remains to St. Peter’s. Pope Francis will lie in state at the basilica ahead of his funeral Mass beginning Wednesday morning, which will be presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals. Following the funeral Mass, Pope Francis’ coffin will be transported to the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome for intermen, located outside Vatican City approximately four miles away.

The Vatican confirmed that the Pope’s funeral will include a number of world leaders and dignitaries; as of press time, among those who have confirmed to be in attendance were: President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and French President Emmanuel Macron. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Germany’s outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz are also scheduled to be present, as well as Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

From the European royal families: Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde and Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia are expected to attend; and Kensington Palace announced Tuesday that Prince William, the Prince of Wales, will represent the British royal family on behalf of King Charles III.  King Charles and Queen Camilla had met with Pope Francis just two weeks prior to his death.

The College of Cardinal Electors will convene at the Vatican within two to three weeks of the Pope’s passing to begin the process of selecting the new pope. The conclave, held in the Sistine Chapel, is attended only by cardinals under the age of 80, currently numbering around 135. During the conclave, cardinals will vote in secrecy within the Sistine Chapel. Each round of voting concludes with the burning of ballots: black smoke signals no decision, while white smoke signifies the election of a new pope.

Editorial credit: Marco Iacobucci Epp / Shutterstock.com