The Vatican has released solemn images of Pope Francis laid out in his open casket during the *Confirmatio Mortis Pontificis* — the traditional Confirmation of the Death of the Pontiff ceremony — held on Monday night.

The hour-long ritual took place in the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta, the residence where the Pope lived throughout his papacy. During the ceremony, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Vatican’s camerlengo, officially declared the death of the pontiff.

Photographs from the event showed the late pope lying in repose, dressed in red papal vestments with a mitre on his head and a rosary clutched in his hands. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin was seen offering prayers over the body.

Following centuries-old tradition, the camerlengo will soon carry out the symbolic destruction of the Pope’s Fisherman’s Ring using a special silver hammer, along with the dies used for sealing official papal documents. These items will be buried with Pope Francis, signifying the end of his pontificate.

On Tuesday morning, the Congregation of Cardinals convened at the Vatican to begin preparations for the funeral rites and the upcoming conclave to elect the next pope.

The Church will now observe nine days of official mourning, known as *novemdiales*. However, the conclave to elect Francis’ successor cannot begin until at least 15 days after his death, in accordance with papal tradition.

Pope Francis passed away on Sunday at the age of 88, following a cerebral stroke that left him in a coma and led to irreversible heart failure.