Cardinals Meeting After Pope's Death
BBC News
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Cardinals are meeting in the Vatican this morning to decide on a date for the funeral of Pope Francis, who died on Monday, aged 88
The Vatican has released images of Pope Francis in an open coffin, dressed in a red robe with the papal mitre on his head and a rosary in his hand
The pontiff's death has prompted an outpouring of grief from Catholics across the globe. From South Sudan to Argentina, Poland to the Philippines, the BBC reports from across five continents
Francis's death has set into motion the political process for the Church to select a new leader in the coming weeks
What happens next? We look at the papal funeral and the election of a new pope
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Watch: The world reacts to the death of Pope Francis
Edited by Rorey Bosotti and Nathan Williams, with Laura Gozzi reporting from the Vatican
The Vatican has released photos of Pope Francis in his open coffin, dressed in a red robe with the papal mitre on his head and a rosary in his hand.
The pictures taken in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta, Francis's residence at the Vatican.
People have been queueing up to visit St Peter's Square this morning
If you're just joining us, here's a quick recap of the day so far:
We'll continue to bring you all the latest updates, so stick with us.
Cardinals are meeting today for the first time to decide when Pope Francis's body will be moved to St Peter's Basilica – and when the funeral will take place.
According to the apostolic constitution, the Universi Dominici Gregis – meaning the Lord's whole flock – the service should happen "between the fourth and sixth day after death".
That would put the date of the funeral between Friday 25 April – Liberation Day in Italy, a national holiday – and Sunday 27 April.
Multiple Italian outlets are reporting the service is likely to be scheduled for Saturday, with national news agency Ansa citing Vatican sources.
In the last few minutes, multiple Italian outlets have shared an unpublished work Pope Francis wrote shortly before his death.
In the preface of a soon-to-be published book by Cardinal Angelo Scola, the pontiff wrote: "Death is not the end but the start of something.
"It’s a new beginning, as the title [of the book, Waiting for a new beginning. Reflections on old age] wisely suggests because eternal life, which is something those who love life experience on Earth in their everyday occupations, is to start something that will never end.
"And it is precisely for this reason that it is a 'new' beginning, because we will experience something that we have never fully experienced: eternity," he added.
In his final testament, Pope Francis expressed his wish to be buried in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome.
"I wish my final earthly journey to end precisely in this ancient Marian sanctuary, where I would always stop to pray at the beginning and end of every Apostolic Journey," he said.
The pontiff, who has come to be known for favouring simplicity over pomp, also asked for a tomb "without ornamentation" and with only the inscription "Franciscus".
On the cost of the burial, the late Pope said it would be covered by a benefactor which he had arranged to be transferred to the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major.
Mourners from around the world have been queueing to visit St Peter's Square in Vatican City this morning.
As we've reported, cardinals are set to meet today to decide when the Pope's body will be moved into St Peter's Basilica before burial.
French President Emmanuel Macron has told local media that he will attend the Pope's funeral.
We're set to learn the funeral date today, with cardinals discussing the matter this morning. Dozens of world leaders are expected to attend the funeral, alongside hundreds of thousands of worshippers.
As we mentioned earlier, cardinals will be meeting this morning to make initial arrangements in preparation for Pope Francis's funeral, as well as the conclave to select his successor.
The apostolic constitution sets out the "more urgent" decisions the clerics will need to make during this first summit, including:
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Watch: Mass held at Pope Francis's home church in Argentina
The Archbishop of Buenos Aries, Jorge Garcia, pays tribute to the late pope and calls for Argentine unity.
As the world continues to mourn the death of Pope Francis, cardinals are set to meet at 9:00 local time (8:00 BST. 07:00 GMT) in the Vatican to decide the date for his funeral.
The meeting marks a first of a series of "general congregations". Cardinals are expected to decide when the Pope's body will be moved into St Peter's Basilica before burial so the public can pay their respect.
The Vatican had earlier on Monday said this transfer could happen as early as Wednesday morning.
As we've reported, there will be nine days of official mourning, with the funeral and burial typically happening between the fourth and sixth days after his death. 
Jonathan Head
BBC South East Asia Correspondent
They called him Lolo Kiko, or Grandpa Francis, and many Filipinos have described themselves as feeling like orphans after his death.
All popes have rock-star status in the Philippines, where an intense and colourful Roman Catholic faith is woven into the fabric of society. With his informal, down-to-earth manner and forthright pleas for justice, Pope Francis won particular affection among those in the Philippines who still live in eye-watering poverty.
Six million attended the open-air mass he held in Manila during his visit 10 years ago, the largest congregation ever recorded by the Vatican.
As well as mourning a much-loved pontiff Filipinos are also closely watching the choice of his successor.
One of their own, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle is widely considered a front-runner. If chosen he would be the first Asian pope, and only the second, after Pope Francis, to come from the global south.
It’s 07:15 in the Vatican – if you're just joining us now, here's a quick look at what is going on:
Stay with us as we bring you the latest.
South Korea’s acting president, Han Duck-Soo, said that the Pope had “practiced a life of peace and reconciliation” and “delivered a message of love and solidarity to mankind through teaching that 'we are all brothers and sisters'.”
Just over one in ten people in South Korea is a practicing Catholic.
Danny Aeberhard
Europe analyst, BBC World Service
In 2015 Pope Francis published the papal encyclical 'Laudato Si' or "Praise be to you" ahead of a landmark UN climate conference in Paris
When Jorge Mario Bergoglio chose "Francis" as his papal name, it seemed a perfect fit. No previous pope had chosen to name themselves after the medieval mendicant friar, Francis of Assisi.
But, as well as being a patron saint of the poor, he was also the patron saint of ecology. Pope Francis spoke out and gave unprecedented prominence on environmental issues.
In 2015, months before a landmark UN climate conference in Paris, he published the papal encyclical which drew powerful scientific and moral arguments on the need to care for Earth – and of the urgency to fight global warming.
The effects of global warming on people – primarily the poor – and biodiversity were devastating. And the rich world bore a disproportionate share of the blame
Later in his papacy, Francis said the world's climate was nearing "breaking point". He called for an accelerated transition away from fossil fuels towards renewables.
The Pope denounced consumerism – the throwaway culture – and a system of plundering the Earth's resources that prioritised short-term gain and private interests.
The question he posed: what kind of world do we want to leave our children?
China is yet to make an official statement about the Pope’s death.
The relationship between the Vatican and China has long been a testy one. The issue of who appoints bishops has been at the heart of a dispute since China first broke off diplomatic ties with the Holy See in 1951.
Beijing has long insisted that the state must approve the appointment of bishops in China, contrary to the Catholic Church's insistence that it is a papal decision.
But in 2018, both parties agreed on a historic deal, allowing Beijing some control over which bishops are appointed in the country. This was extended in November last year.
At the time, the Vatican said it remained dedicated to “respectful and constructive dialogue” with Beijing.
But Human Rights Watch said the extension of the deal was tantamount to the Vatican “endorsing the Chinese government’s perversion of religions”. China's constitution guarantees religious freedom, but in practice, religious activities are tightly controlled.
Former Bishop of Hong Kong, Cardinal Joseph Zen, who was arrested under the Beijing-imposed national security law in 2022, had in 2018 said the deal constituted the Vatican "selling out" the Catholic Church in China.
Filipina journalist Maria Ressa, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 for her press freedom advocacy in the Philippines, described herself as a "wayward Catholic" who was "absolutely" changed by Pope Francis.
She recalled the times she had met the pope during events organised by his Fratelli tutti Foundation. She had been looking forward to their gathering again this year "because it was nourishing not just for the mind, it was nourishing for the soul".
"Pope Francis, despite the scrutiny of journalism, chose me, chose a journalist to be the first speaker. And I was probably far more political than he would have wanted, but there I was in that same space," she said of her attendance at the Jubilee of the World of Communications held at the Vatican in January.
"And as the church now finds the next Pope, I hope that it's able to keep this kind of progressive bent".
Cardinals will meet on Tuesday to plan a funeral for Pope Francis – those who are currently in Rome have been invited to meet at 09:00 local time (08:00 BST) on Tuesday morning for the planning.
At this meeting they are expected to decide when the Pope's body will be moved into St Peter's Basilica before burial so the public can pay their respects. The Vatican had earlier on Monday said this transfer could happen as early as Wednesday morning.
Pope Francis's death triggers nine days of official mourning, called the Novendiales, with the funeral and burial typically happening between the fourth and sixth days after his death.
The St. Peter's Basilica, the largest Christian temple in the world, is seen from inside in Vatican City, Vatican.
Juan Carlos Cruz Chellow spent a week with the Pope in the Vatican's Santa Marta guesthouse
Pope Francis came to the papacy at a time when the Catholic Church was dealing with a reckoning over longstanding allegations of sexual abuse, which lingers to this day.
Juan Carlos Cruz Chellew, a survivor of abuse by a cleric in Chile, told BBC Newshour that Pope Francis was one of the few people in the church willing to listen to him.
Cruz spent a week with the Pope in the Vatican's Santa Marta guesthouse, where the pair forged a friendship over long conversations.
"He and I talked long hours about the situation and ever since, he started changing the attitude towards sexual abuse in the church," Cruz said, adding that their encounter made a "180 degree change" on him.
All 34 of Chile's bishops offered their resignations to the Pope after an emergency summit at the Vatican over the scandal – and the Pope accepted seven of them and later defrocked two other bishops and a priest.
"There's still so much to do, but I feel Pope Francis opened the floodgates of something that people wanted to keep in the dark," Cruz said.
"I'm really sad and I'm going to miss him a lot."
Requiems are being planned across the Philippines for Lolo Kiko – translated as "Grandpa Francis". Roman Catholics make up 80% of its population.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said yesterday that Pope Francis was the "best Pope of in my lifetime".
Taiwan has said that it will send an envoy of an “appropriate level” to the funeral of Pope Francis.
The Vatican is one of only a handful of countries that still maintains formal diplomatic relations with diplomatically isolated Taiwan – whose government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims.
Taiwanese presidents have attended historic events at the Vatican before. In 2013, president Ma Ying-jeou attended Pope Francis’s inaugural mass. And in 2005, president Chen Shui-bian attended the funeral of Pope John Paul II.
We’re expecting more details from Taiwan’s foreign ministry about their envoy at a press conference which is happening soon – we'll bring you the latest as it happens.
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