On April 21, after Pope Francis' death, the Catholic Church will begin the "Sede Vacante" (Vacant See) period, in which a senior cardinal will take over day-to-day operations until a new pope is elected.

Specifically in this case, Irish-American Cardinal Kevin Farrell was appointed to this role by Pope Francis in February 2019.

Traditionally, Cardinal Farrell's main role is to certify death, which is done by tapping the Pope's forehead three times with a special silver hammer and calling out his birth name.

The cardinal was also tasked with destroying the "Fisherman's Ring," a gold signet ring specially cast for each new Pope that was used to seal documents. This act symbolized the end of a papacy.

Cardinals from around the world will hold a series of meetings called "conclaves" and decide on the burial date, as well as the "novemdiales," or nine days of mourning. The burial must take place between the Wednesday and Friday after the pope's death.

Previous popes have been buried in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, but Pope Francis has requested to be buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.

Pope Francis' body will be laid to rest in a single wooden and zinc coffin, breaking with tradition once again.

Previous Popes were buried in three coffins made of cypress, lead and elm.

According to Vatican authorities, the change in funeral rites reflects Pope Francis's lifelong belief that the role of the Pope is "that of a shepherd and disciple of Christ, not that of a powerful man of this world."

In addition, Pope Francis' open coffin will lie in state in St. Peter's Basilica, rather than on a raised, cushioned pedestal as is traditional.

The congregations will fix the date for the beginning of the conclave not less than 15 days and not more than 20 days after the death of the Pope.

This is a closed meeting in which cardinals under the age of 80 choose the next pope from among their peers. There are currently 135 voting cardinals, 108 of whom were appointed by Pope Francis. Of these, 53 are from Europe, 20 from North America, 18 from Africa, 23 from Asia, 4 from Oceania and 17 from South America.

The Cardinals must remain in the Sistine Chapel until a new Pope is found and maintain absolute secrecy during the voting process.

After being elected, the new Pope will be led into a small sanctuary near the Sistine Chapel called the "sala delle lacrime," or Room of Tears. The new Pope will then appear on the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica.

Senior Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino will declare “We have a Pope!” by reciting the famous Latin phrase: “Habemus Papam!”.