The Catholic church is officially in sorrow following the funeral of Pope Francis.
Day two of the ‘Novemdiales’, the formal nine-day period of sorrow, began yesterday with the funeral of the late pope and continues today, April 27.
Prior to his passing, Pope Francis had made it clear that he wanted to defy convention and have a more modest funeral than past popes. He was buried in a plainer casket and was the first pope in a long time to be buried outside the Vatican.
Cardinals will vote for the next pope at the conclave, which takes place after the mourning period.
Much depends on their choice, but Pope Francis’s influence on a religion that is practiced by over a billion people worldwide and the direction he led the Catholic church in show that it matters who is appointed head of state.