The death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday has set in motion a series of ancient rituals that will culminate in his funeral on Saturday.
But it will not follow traditional protocols, making a break from the past as the world mourns the loss of the "people's pope".
Here's what we know about the funeral of Pope Francis.
When is the pope's funeral?
The pope's funeral will take place on Saturday, April 26 — six days after his death.
It will begin at 10am local time. That's 6pm AEST for Australians on the east coast.
Where will it be held?
Francis's funeral will be held outside in St Peter's Square, weather permitting.
Previous papal funerals have also been held outside, with thousands of mourners filling the open space in front of the basilica.
Francis's funeral liturgy will be presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals — the group which will in the coming weeks be tasked with appointing a new pope.
How to watch the pope's funeral in Australia
ABC NEWS will broadcast the funeral as part of its live coverage on Saturday.
Coverage will also be blogged live right here on the ABC NEWS website and a stream will be available on YouTube.
Vatican Media will offer a live stream on YouTube and its official websites.
Where will the pope be buried?
A pope known for defying expectations, Francis will continue this trend in death.
He will become the first pontiff to be buried away from the Vatican in more than a century.
In his final testament, dated June 29, 2022, Pope Francis requested he be buried at Rome's Basilica of Saint Mary Major.
Throughout his life, Francis has always entrusted himself to the Virgin Mary.
"For this reason, I ask that my mortal remains rest — awaiting the day of Resurrection — in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major," the will read.
"The tomb must be in the earth; simple, without particular decoration and with the only inscription: Franciscus."
The last pope to be buried there was Clement IX in 1669.
The Unesco World Heritage site is one of the Italian capital's four major papal basilicas, and has played a key role in Francis's history since he was elected in 2013.
Less than 24 hours after he became pope, Francis visited the basilica to pray in front of one of the Catholic world's most important icons of the Virgin Mary, the Salus Populi Romani — meaning Salvation of the Roman people.
He would regularly travel to St Mary Major before leaving on trips abroad and upon his return to Rome.
Who will attend?
Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend the funeral.
A string of world leaders have confirmed they will travel to the Vatican for the service.
Here's a list of some of the attendees:
- Argentinian president Javier Milei
- Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni
- Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
- French president Emmanuel Macron
- Britian prime minister Keir Starmer
- Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy
- US president Donald Trump and his wife Melania
Britain's Prince William will also be attending on behalf of his father King Charles.
Australia will be represented at the funeral by Governor-General Sam Mostyn and the ambassador to the Vatican, designate Keith Pitt.
The list will also include federal trade minister Don Farrell and former deputy prime minister Michael McCormack.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition leader Peter Dutton will not attend as the election enters its final week.
All of the 252 Catholic cardinals will be invited to attend.
Ukrainian-born Melbourne cardinal Mykola Bychok will also be at the funeral. He is one of the 135 cardinals from around the world eligible to take part in the conclave.
What will happen during the funeral?
In 2024, Francis revised various papal funeral rites and rituals to cut back on a lot of the associated pomp and pageantry.
Explaining the changes, Archbishop Diego Ravelli, master of Papal Liturgical Ceremonies, said that the aim was to highlight that the pope's funeral is "that of a shepherd and disciple of Christ, and not of a powerful man of this world".
For example, traditionally, a deceased pope was laid to rest inside three stacked coffins made of cypress wood, lead and oak.
However, after the changes enacted by him last year, Francis's body is being placed inside a simplified wooden coffin lined in zinc.
During Pope John Paul II's funeral, the service began with the great bells of St Peter's Basilica tolling in mourning.
Then 12 pallbearers carried John Paul's coffin out of the church. The choir sang the Latin prayer: "Grant him eternal rest, O Lord, and shine your light on him forever."
The coffin was then laid on the steps of the vast church.
Saturday's two-and-a-half hour service will likely be led by Cardinal Battista Re.
He will lead those present in prayers and Bible readings, and will deliver the final commendation and valediction — a concluding prayer where the Pope will be formally entrusted to God.
The funeral will be held in different languages. It's likely that the main prayers will be said in Latin and Italian.
Patriarchs, cardinals, archbishops, bishops and priests from across the globe will take part.
The event requires a huge security operation.
An estimated four million people thronged the streets of the Vatican during John Paul II's funeral in 2005, alongside 8,000 security staff members.
After the funeral, the pontiff's body will be moved to St Mary Major for the burial.
A nine day mourning period, known as Novemdiales, will then begin.
When will the conclave happen?
Following the funeral, a conclave of cardinals will convene to elect a successor.
We don't have an exact timing on that yet.
But the dean of the College of Cardinals has 15 to 20 days to summon the cardinals to Rome after the pope's death where they meet in the Sistine Chapel to begin the decision-making process.
Only cardinals under the age of 80 have a say in the decision and the voting takes place behind closed doors.
It typically takes from days to weeks for a pope to be chosen, though it can stretch slightly beyond that.
Of the cardinals eligible to appoint the next pontiff, Pope Francis installed 108.
The last three popes were chosen within days.
