A BRIEF BACKGROUND OF POPE FRANCIS

Here’s a more detailed look at his background:

Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was the 266th and most recent pope of the Roman Catholic Church, serving from March 2013 to April 2025. He was the first pope from the Americas and the first Jesuit pope. His papacy was marked by humility, a focus on the poor and marginalized, and a desire for spiritual renewal within the church. 

• Early Life: Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 17, 1936. His parents were Italian immigrants. 
• Jesuit Order: He entered the Jesuit order in 1958 and was ordained a priest in 1969. 
• Academic Career: He studied philosophy and theology, and taught at various Jesuit-run institutions in Argentina. 
• Rise in the Church: He served as Archbishop of Buenos Aires and was named a cardinal in 2001. 
• Papacy: He was elected pope in 2013 and chose the name Francis in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi. 
• Major Themes: Pope Francis emphasized a poor church for the poor, a commitment to evangelization, and a focus on environmental issues. 
• Legacy: His papacy was marked by his efforts to reform the church and address the needs of the marginalized. He is also known for his humility, his open dialogue with people of different faiths, and his focus on social justice. 

What happens after Pope Francis’ funeral?

After the funeral Mass at St. Peter’s, Pope Francis’ coffin will be taken to the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome, where he will be entombed. The pope chose to be buried at the smaller basilica, which is about four miles away, outside the Vatican walls. He prayed at St. Mary’s often, before and after international trips during his 12-year pontificate.

Between 15 and 20 days after the pope’s death, the Cardinal Electors will gather at the Vatican and seal themselves off from the world behind the doors of the Sistine Chapel for the papal conclave, the centuries-old process of choosing the next pope. Only cardinals under the age of 80 — currently a group of about 135 — are eligible to vote in a conclave.  

The meeting of the cardinals on Tuesday was the first in what will be a series of gatherings culminating with the conclave. John Allen, editor of the Catholic news website “Crux,” told CBS News that the cardinals who were already at the Vatican to attend Tuesday’s meeting would soon be joined by others from around the world.

“The really important part of these meetings begin when cardinals begin giving programmatic talks about where they believe the church stands… and what the profile of the man is needed to carry it forward,” Allen told CBS News about the process leading up to the conclave.

“Let’s be clear: These are not the Iowa Caucuses. Nobody’s going to be standing up, barnstorming on behalf of their preferred candidate,” he said, adding that one can, however, “read between the lines” of the addresses delivered by the cardinals “to figure out, ‘he’s probably talking about cardinal so-and-so, or he may be talking against cardinal, so-in-so… so this is as close to political sausage grinding as we’re going to get in the process electing the next pope.”

For the actual conclave, the cardinals will cast ballots inside the Sistine Chapel, out of public view, for their choice to lead the church, repeating the process until a candidate emerges with a two-thirds-plus-one majority. The paper ballots are burned after each round of voting, sending up black smoke to signal no choice has been reached yet, and finally white smoke to reveal that a new pope has been selected.