Pope Francis’s burial:  Global attention turns to Conclave to elect successor

With the final prayers said and Pope Francis laid to rest, the eyes of the world have now shifted to the Vatican, where the College of Cardinals will soon gather for the highly anticipated conclave to elect the next head of the Catholic Church.

On Saturday, an estimated 400,000 mourners — including world leaders, reigning monarchs, and ordinary faithful — filled St. Peter’s Square in a historic farewell to the Argentine pontiff.

Pope Francis, celebrated for his energy, humility, and commitment to the marginalized, was buried in Rome’s Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, becoming the first pope in over a century to be interred outside the Vatican walls.

The immense crowds served as a powerful testament to Francis’s popularity and impact as a reformer who sought to bring the Church closer to the realities of everyday life.

Many who traveled from across the globe expressed deep sorrow at his passing and voiced concern about the future leadership of the Church.

“He ended up transforming the Church into something more normal, more human,” said Romina Cacciatore, a 48-year-old Argentinian translator living in Italy. “I’m worried about what’s coming next.”

The next critical step for the Church begins Monday morning at 9 a.m., when cardinals will hold their fifth general congregation since Francis’s death to finalize the date for the conclave.

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The secretive election process — held within the frescoed walls of the Sistine Chapel — has fascinated the public for centuries.

Cardinals eligible to vote, those under the age of 80, will cast up to four ballots a day until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority.

The world will know a new pope has been chosen when white smoke rises from the chapel chimney.

More than 220 of the Church’s 252 cardinals were present at Saturday’s funeral and are expected to gather once again on Sunday afternoon at Santa Maria Maggiore to honor Francis at his tomb.

Additionally, a mass at St. Peter’s Basilica will be held at 10:30 a.m., led by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State and a frontrunner in discussions about Francis’s possible successor.

Of the 135 cardinals eligible to vote, a majority were appointed by Francis himself — a factor that could influence the conclave, but experts caution against assumptions.

History has shown that new popes often diverge sharply from their predecessors: from the scholarly Benedict XVI to the charismatic John Paul II, and then to Francis, the people’s pope.

Francis’s sweeping reforms also drew opposition from conservative elements within the Church, many of whom hope the next pope will shift focus back to stricter doctrinal orthodoxy.

As the conclave approaches, cardinals are keenly aware of the immense responsibility they bear in choosing a spiritual leader for the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.

The world now waits — in hope, in prayer, and with no small measure of anxiety — for the white smoke to rise once again over the Vatican.