Pope Francis to be buried on Saturday: Vatican

Pope Francis' funeral will be held on Saturday, April 26, at 10.00 a.m. (0800 GMT) at St Peter's Basilica, the Vatican said in a statement.

Pope Francis died at age 88 after suffering a prolonged illness, the Vatican announced on Monday.

The body of Pope Francis will be taken to St Peter's Basilica on Wednesday morning at 9:00 a.m. (0700 GMT), the Vatican also disclosed.

His body is currently laid out in a coffin in the chapel of the Santa Marta residence, where he lived during his 12-year papacy.

Cardinals gathered at the Vatican on Tuesday to plan Pope Francis' funeral, which leaders from around the world will attend ahead of a conclave next month to elect a new head of the Roman Catholic Church.

Long illness

Francis, 88, died unexpectedly on Monday after suffering a stroke and cardiac arrest, the Vatican said on Monday. The pontiff spent five weeks in hospital earlier this year suffering from double pneumonia.

The Vatican has released photographs of the body of Pope Francis dressed in his vestments and laid in a wooden coffin in the chapel of the Santa Marta residence, with Swiss Guards standing on either side of the casket.

"We are now called on to discuss the organisation. We'll see what comes next," said Italian Cardinal Fernando Filoni as he entered the first Congregation of Cardinals at the Vatican.

The Pope's sudden death set in motion ancient rituals, as the 1.4-billion-member church started the transition from one pope to another, including the breaking of the pope's "Fisherman's Ring" and lead seal, used in his lifetime to seal documents, so they cannot be used by anyone else.