Cardinals to meet in the Vatican to set funeral date for Pope Francis

 

As the world continues to mourn the death of Pope Francis, cardinals are set to meet at 9:00 local time (8:00 BST. 07:00 GMT) in the Vatican to decide the date for his funeral.

The meeting marks a first of a series of "general congregations". Cardinals are expected to decide when the Pope's body will be moved into St Peter's Basilica before burial so the public can pay their respect.

The Vatican had earlier on Monday said this transfer could happen as early as Wednesday morning.

As we've reported, there will be nine days of official mourning, with the funeral and burial typically happening between the fourth and sixth days after his death.