After a month of battling a vicious attack of pneumonia, Pope Francis went against orders and suggestions to stay inside and recover, insisting upon traveling and speaking in foreign countries, and holding mass this Sunday. However, as of Monday, April 21, the Pope would succumb to a stroke and heart failure and pass away at the age of 88.

The Pope’s tenure as the head of the Vatican has been the first of many. The first South American pope to be chosen, along with first to be chosen from the western hemisphere as a whole. He was also the first Jesuit pope to be chosen, with the Jesuits being a holy order with a commitment to the betterment of society through things like education and the environment.

These ideas of large social change would also follow Pope Francis as he would push for stronger relations between Christians and non-Christians, fought for environmental protectionism, pushed for a more inclusive papacy with ideas like homosexuality and putting female individuals into positions of power in the church, and pushing to end corruption from destroying the church from within.

Earlier this year, we covered a story of how the Pope used his position of power to help put a stop to corruption and harassment in South American churches, showing his devotion to the people and the religion he valued. With his passing, it leaves many to wonder what direction the papacy will go towards with the pope to fill in Francis’ shoes. According to CNN, Francis himself was a counterweight against Christian nationalism growing around the world, finding himself at odds with many leaders both in the church and in the political scene. However, now everyone is paying their respects from the White House to Buckingham Palace and all in between.

For now, nine days of grieving must take place where he will be buried traditionally between the fourth and sixth day, and his body may be laid out for visits and for people to pay their respects as soon as Wednesday. As for now, an interim acting cardinal will take the head of the papacy as they begin to choose a successor. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the interim, closed the Papal Apartments Monday in a symbolic gesture bringing on the mourning period and to signify the end of Francis’s pontificate.

Now the cardinals must decide when the funeral can take place, only then can the decision and election of a new pope take place. After the period of mourning a grand ceremony will be held in Rome and then there will be a tomb specified by the Pope himself to be “… in the earth; simple, without particular decoration and with the only inscription: Franciscus.”. The choice to go for a small simple burial signifies his less than grand lifestyle and his love for the people and to be buried like they are.

Then the dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals will call a meeting of all eligible cardinals, all under the age of 80, to come to Rome to cast their vote. Sealed within the Sistine Chapel, the cardinals then pass around paper ballots where they will write their chosen candidate’s name under “Eligo in Summum Pontificem” or “I elect as supreme pontiff.” They then go by seniority and each cast their vote one at a time and once it is all counted, as long as the candidate gets two-thirds of the vote, they will become the new pope. Usually four votes happen in one day for a period of four days, the fifth is set aside for break and prayer, where the pattern then begins again.

After one is chosen, white smoke will appear above the Vatican roof, signifying no ballots were burned and that one has been chosen. An hour or two later the chosen pope will appear, give a brief speech and give a prayer, where his papal name will be read aloud and his formal coronation will be held a few days later.