What happens next after Francis’ death? How the Catholic Church will pick a successor

CNN The death of Pope Francis has triggered a period of mourning in the Vatican and signals the start of a millennia-old process of picking a new pontiff It is a procedure steeped in tradition but one which has been subtly updated for the modern world Cardinals from around the world must gather for the conclave in which Francis successor is selected It typically takes between two and three weeks for a pope to be chosen though it can stretch slightly beyond that if cardinals struggle to agree on a candidate The voting process is kept secret but will take place with the eyes of the world on the Vatican and amid intense scrutiny of the Catholic Church an institution whose reputation has been stained by the shame of child sex abuse within its ranks overshadowing the legacies of successive popes Here s what you need to know about the coming days and weeks What happens during the mourning period The Papal Interregnum the period between the death of one pope and the balloting of another began when Francis passed away on Monday Cardinals must now decide exactly when the funeral can take place and after that when conclave can begin But much of the timeline is predetermined the pope s death triggered the start of nine days of mourning known as the Novendiales and the pope must be buried between the fourth and sixth day after death The body of the pope must also be displayed at St Peter s Basilica for mourning and a mass will take place on each day Mourners lined up for miles to see the body of Pope John Paul II the last serving pontiff to die in It is likely that unofficial events will take place in tandem in Buenos Aires where Francis lived before becoming the Bishop of Rome In Warsaw more than gathered at the site where John Paul II then Karol Wojtyla returned as the new pope in Then at the end of the period of mourning a large funeral Mass will take place at St Peter s This is historically a huge event with dignitaries expected from around the world John Paul II s funeral was attended by then-President George W Bush and his two predecessors Bill Clinton and George H W Bush When does the voting of a new pope begin When a pope dies the dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals calls for a meeting of all cardinals eligible to vote those under the age of They must all journey to the Vatican to do so There are at this moment eligible cardinals But it s worth remembering that in John Paul II set the maximum number of cardinals allowed to participate at Conclave is not expected to begin earlier than days nor later than days after the pope s death though it could get underway sooner if all the cardinal electors arrive in Rome rapidly Inside the Sistine Chapel the codified home of conclave paper ballots are passed out to each cardinal who writes the name of their chosen candidate below the words Eligo in Summum Pontificem Latin for I elect as supreme pontiff Technically any Roman Catholic male can be elected pope But the last pope not chosen from the College of Cardinals was Urban VI in When they re done each cardinal in order of seniority walks to the altar to ceremoniously place his folded ballot into a chalice The votes are then counted and the effect is read to the cardinals If a cardinal has received two-thirds of the vote he becomes the new pope As countless as four votes a day two in the morning and two in the afternoon can be held on the second third and fourth days of the conclave The fifth day is set aside to break for prayer and discussion and then voting can continue for an additional seven rounds After that there s another break and the pattern resumes What happens when a pope is chosen News cameras will have their lenses fixed on a chimney on a Vatican rooftop for days because that s where the first confirmation of a new pope will be seen Ballots are burned after the votes once in the morning and once in the afternoon If a pope hasn t been elected the ballots will be burned along with a chemical that makes the smoke black If white smoke billows from the chimney however it means sede vacante in Latin with the chair vacant is over and a new pontiff has been chosen Traditionally about to minutes after the white smoke the new pope will appear on the balcony overlooking St Peter s Square His papal name will be reported and the new pope will then speak briefly and say a prayer His formal coronation will take place days after his voting The last two popes have been inaugurated in St Peter s Square Why does it matter who becomes pope The balloting of a pope is a deeply consequential decision for the Catholic Church whose followers number several billion around the world according to the Vatican The record and beliefs of the next man to take the mantle will be scrutinized for clues as to the church s next move Francis voting was seen as something of a surprise the first non-European leader in centuries whose approach to several social issues was less strict than that of his predecessors Though he did not radically alter Catholic practices Francis surprised global observers with comments on homosexuality and the death penalty that were far more accepting than Benedict XVI Whether the cardinals choose to continue down that path or revert towards a hardline interpreter of biblical teachings will be one question that hangs over the balloting The consuming abuse controversy is another In a group representing survivors of sexual abuse by priests named a Dirty Dozen list of cardinals it stated would be the worst candidates for pope based on their handling of child sex abuse suggests or their citizens comments about the cases All but one have aged out of eligibility or died but undoubtedly the track record of the next pontiff when it comes to responding to and dealing with accusations of abuse will be pored over