Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, died on Easter Monday aged 88.
The Vatican said he died following a stroke and subsequent irreversible heart failure at 07:35 local time (06:35 BST).
His death was announced less than 24 hours after he led an Easter Sunday address in front of thousands of worshipers in St Peter’s Square.
Pope Francis’s funeral will take place at the Vatican on Saturday morning, with world leaders including Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron and Volodymyr Zelensky to attend.
Prince William – who as heir to the throne is also the future head of the Church of England – will represent his father at Pope Francis’s funeral mass on Saturday.
This is in keeping with recent tradition.
King Charles, then the Prince of Wales, travelled to Pope John Paul II’s funeral on behalf of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 2005.
His attendance caused the date of his wedding to Camilla to be delayed.
Next Pope
Cardinals play a central role in the papal election, known as a conclave.
There are currently 252 Catholic cardinals, but only 135 are eligible to vote for a new pope as they must be under 80 years of age to partake.
Here’s a breakdown of the number of cardinals by continent:
- Europe: 114
- Asia: 37
- South America: 32
- Africa: 29
- North America: 28
- Central America: 8
- Oceania: 4
When it comes to voting power, here’s a look at the number of electors:
- Europe: 53
- Asia: 23
- Africa: 18
- South America: 17
- North America: 16
- Central America: 4
- Oceania: 4
Trump announcement
So, Donald Trump announced that the flags would fly at half-mast as a mark of respect.
Unfortunately, he was standing beside someone dressed as the Easter Bunny while he made the announcement.
Here is one response, there are many simiular (below).
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Related: As Pope passes away somehow JD Vance & Liz Truss memes emerge
