The Vatican has now released pictures of Pope Francis in his open casket, lying in his apartments.
The pope’s casket will later be taken into St Peter’s Basilica for public viewing.
The camerlengo – the interim head of the church, as we explained in our post at 7.33am – and three assistants will make sure the pope’s “Fisherman’s Ring” and his lead seal are broken so they cannot be used by anyone else.
Mourning rites are expected to last nine days, with the date of the funeral and burial to be decided by the cardinals.
Those cardinals are meeting in the Vatican now to discuss funeral plans, including the date.
