Predicting when the smoke will rise from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel is not an exact science.

Cardinal Becciu issued a statement the morning of April 29 saying, “I have decided to obey—as I have always done—the will of Pope Francis not to enter the conclave, while remaining convinced of my innocence.”

A conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis will begin on Wednesday, May 7, the Vatican announced Monday.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin told some 200,000 people in St. Peter’s Square that Pope Francis had made the message of God’s limitless mercy the heart of his pontificate.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re’s homily for the funeral of Pope Francis.

Pope Francis’ face was forever hidden from the world when his coffin was closed at 8 o’clock on Friday evening, April 25, just as the sun was setting over Rome.