Pope Francis has died on Easter Monday – This is what happens when a pope dies
Pope Francis has died at the age of 88.
Two months ago, the religious leader was in hospital and the world was on high alert for an extraordinary news event – the death of a pontiff.
The 88-year-old was first admitted to hospital on February 14 after experiencing difficulties breathing for several days.
His death is set to immediately kick off a tightly choreographed series of events, refined over centuries and hundreds of dead popes.
The passing of a pope sets in motion a series of centuries-old processes, including a nine-day mourning period, an elaborate burial, and the election of a new leader for the Catholic Church.
At the end of the process, a new leader of the Catholic church will be selected in a high-stakes election dramatised in the Oscar-nominated thriller “Conclave,” with progressive and conservative cardinals vying for control of an institution with a billion followers globally.
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