WITH Pope Francis in hospital, the world is on alert for an extraordinary news event - the death of a pontiff.
The 88-year-old was first admitted to hospital on February 14 after experiencing difficulties breathing for several days.
His death, whenever it happens, is set to immediately kick off a tightly choreographed series of events, refined over centuries and hundreds of dead popes.
The passing of a pope sets in motion a series of centuries-old processes, including a nine-day mourning period, an elaborate burial, and the election of a new leader for the Catholic Church.
At the end of the process, a new leader of the Catholic church will be selected in a high-stakes election dramatised in the Oscar-nominated thriller “Conclave,” with progressive and conservative cardinals vying for control of an institution with a billion followers globally.
- GRAPHIC NEWS