What to know about the funeral and burial of Pope Francis

By LUIS ANDRES HENAO Associated Press NEW YORK AP Pope Francis died on Easter Monday at the age of His death set off mourning across the Catholic world and days of ritual at the Vatican Here are the key things to know about the funeral of the first Latin American pontiff in the church s history When and where is his funeral being held His funeral is being held on Saturday in St Peter s Square Francis will then be buried according to his will in a simple underground tomb at St Mary Major Basilica The church is home to his favorite icon of the Virgin Mary to whom he was particularly devoted The sealing of the coffin The night before the funeral the camerlengo presided over the closing and sealing of the coffin in the presence of other senior cardinals A white cloth was placed over Francis face A bag containing coins minted during his papacy was placed in the coffin along with a one-page written account of his papacy known in Italian as a rogito a word indicating an official deed It was read aloud by the master of liturgical ceremonies and then rolled up and slipped inside a cylindrical tube that was placed inside the coffin Another copy is kept in the Vatican archives The covers of both the zinc coffin and the wooden one bear a cross and Francis papal coat of arms Why not at the Vatican Francis had stated he requested to be buried not in St Peter s Basilica or its grottoes where most of popes are buried but in the St Mary Major Basilica across town His choice reflects his veneration of an icon of the Virgin Mary that is located there the Salus Populi Romani Salvation of the people of Rome The bell tower of St Mary Major Basilica where the burial ceremony of Pope Francis will take place in Rome Saturday April AP Photo Luca Bruno Before and after every foreign trip Francis would go to the basilica to pray before the Byzantine-style painting that features an image of Mary draped in a blue robe holding the infant Jesus who in turn holds a jeweled golden book Which dignitaries are expected to attend Heads of state including U S President Donald Trump Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron are among those expected for the funeral Others dignitaries include Prince William German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and European Council President Ant nio Costa The sun rises through a statue as people begin to take their seats in St Peter s Square ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican Saturday April AP Photo Markus Schreiber A nun smiles as she waits ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis in St Peter s Square at the Vatican Saturday April AP Photo Emilio Morenatti Faithful one holding a placard with the Ukrainian flag and reading Francis pray for us arrive for the funeral of Pope Francis in St Peter s Square at the Vatican Saturday April AP Photo Alessandra Tarantino Nuns and other pilgrims look for their seats in St Peter s Square ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican Saturday April AP Photo Markus Schreiber Police officers speak in St Peter s Square ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican Saturday April AP Photo Andreea Alexandru A faithful wearing a flag from Argentina arrives for the funeral of Pope Francis in St Peter s Square at the Vatican Saturday April AP Photo Gregorio Borgia Nuns and pilgrims make their way to St Peter s Square ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican Saturday April AP Photo Andreea Alexandru Faithful rest on the ground ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis in St Peter s Square at the Vatican Saturday April AP Photo Andrew Medichini A man yawns as people arrive in St Peter s Square ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican Saturday April AP Photo Andreea Alexandru A nun waits in St Peter s Square as people arrive ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican Saturday April AP Photo Andreea Alexandru Faithful and Swiss Guards are backdropped by St Peter s Basilica ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis in St Peter s Square at the Vatican Saturday April AP Photo Alessandra Tarantino Priests take their seats ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis in St Peter s Square at the Vatican Saturday April AP Photo Alessandra Tarantino A faithful waves a flag with Carlo Acutis the -year-old Italian boy who died in of leukemia and beatified in at the funeral of Pope Francis in St Peter s Square at the Vatican Saturday April AP Photo Emilio Morenatti Faithful rest on the ground outside St Peter s Basilica waiting for the funeral of Pope Francis in St Peter s Square at the Vatican Saturday April AP Photo Andrew Medichini Faithful arrive ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis in St Peter s Square at the Vatican Saturday April AP Photo Markus Schreiber Faithful stand on a lamppost as they wait for the funeral of Pope Francis to begin in St Peter s Square at the Vatican Saturday April AP Photo Emilio Morenatti Faithful wait for the start of the funeral of Pope Francis in St Peter s Square at the Vatican Saturday April AP Photo Emilio Morenatti Nadine from Germany is waiting for the funeral of Pope Francis to begin in St Peter s Square at the Vatican Saturday April AP Photo Emilio Morenatti Faithful rest on the ground ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis in St Peter s Square at the Vatican Saturday April AP Photo Andrew Medichini Faithful sit in St Peter s Square waiting for the funeral of Pope Francis to begin at the Vatican Saturday April AP Photo Emilio Morenatti A Vatican Swiss Guard in St Peter s Square at the Vatican Saturday April AP Photo Alessandra Tarantino Show Caption of The sun rises through a statue as people begin to take their seats in St Peter s Square ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican Saturday April AP Photo Markus Schreiber Expand How long did the pope serve Pope Francis had a -year papacy during which he charmed the world with his humility and concern for the poor But the Argentina-born pope also alienated conservatives with critiques of capitalism and context change So how do they choose a new pope The death of a pope starts a centuries-old ritual to elect a new one involving sacred oaths by the cardinals the piercing of ballots with a needle and thread after they re counted and then burning them to produce either the white or black smoke to signal if there s a new leader for the world s billion Catholics With the burial the Catholic Church begins nine days of official mourning known as the novemdiales The date of the conclave to elect a new pope has not yet been released People queue trying to reach St Peter s Square ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican Saturday April AP Photo Andrew Medichini In the conclave the cardinals will vote in secret sessions and the ballots will be burned in a special stove after each session Black smoke indicates no pope has been elected white smoke says the cardinals have chosen the next head of the Catholic Church Any baptized Catholic male is eligible though only cardinals have been selected since The winner must receive at least two-thirds of the vote from those cardinals under age who are eligible to participate Francis appointed the vast majority of electors often tapping men who share his pastoral priorities which suggests continuity rather than rupture While it s impossible to predict who the next pope will be particular cardinals are considered to have better chances than others Is it like the movie Yes and no Conclave the film introduced multiple laypeople to the ancient selection process with its arcane rules and grand ceremony albeit with a silver screen twist packed full of palace intrigue and surprise Vatican experts say the movie excels at re-creating the look and feel of a conclave But there are discrepancies errors and specific outlandish storylines in the Hollywood version And while the voting process was depicted accurately the ballots are burned not after each vote but after each session The legacy of Francis Francis was known for his personal simplicity from the choice of his name Francis in honor of St Francis of Assisi who renounced wealth to help the poor to the outward symbols and priorities of his papacy Related Articles Photos From mightiest to humblest hundreds of thousands gather for Pope Francis funeral Trump will pay his respects to a pope who publicly and pointedly disagreed with him on particular issues Pope Francis funeral Watch live from Vatican City Thousands rush to St Peter s Square for Pope Francis funeral a ceremony he helped reimagine How to watch Pope Francis funeral Where to stream and what to expect He chose to live in the Vatican s Domus Santa Marta hotel instead of the Apostolic Palace and wore his old orthotic shoes and not the red loafers of the papacy In his teachings he focused on concern for refugees and other marginalized people His first trip outside Rome as pope in was to the Sicilian island of Lampedusa to meet with newly arrived displaced persons His plea for welcome put him at odds with U S and European policies He also also signaled a more welcoming stance toward LGBTQ people while also making the fight against environment change a priority Francis became the first pope to use scientific records in a major teaching document and made care for God s creation a hallmark of his papacy He eschewed the grandiose even in his departure lying in state in a simple coffin made of wood Associated Press religion coverage receives sponsorship through the AP s collaboration with The Conversation US with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc The AP is solely responsible for this content