Vatican plans for Pope Francis’ funeral as conclave speculation intensifies

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• Amna Nawaz:

  The Catholic faithful and many more around the world continue to pay their respects today to Pope Francis one day after his death. An official period of mourning began in Italy that will last through his funeral this weekend, as security ramps up to prepare for the throngs of mourners and world leaders expected to gather in Rome.

  Malcolm Brabant reports once again from Rome tonight.

• Malcolm Brabant:

  Lying in an open coffin under the watchful eye of Swiss guards, this was Pope Francis' silent farewell to the humble Vatican guesthouse that had been his home.

  Tomorrow, his coffin will be taken to St. Peter's Basilica, where he will lie in state and the faithful will come to pay their respects. Today, a gathering of cardinals announced that his funeral would take place on Saturday.

  Consistent with his humility, Pope Francis asked not to be interred in the Vatican, but in a beautiful church in Rome called Santa Maria Maggiore in a simple wooden casket.

  Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, President Emeritus, Pontifical Council for Culture (through interpreter): This is perhaps the last message he is giving, especially remembering that he wants to be buried under the shadow of a woman, in this case Mary. This is also significant in terms of the church's desire to do more for women.

• Malcolm Brabant:

  The conclave to elect his successor will take place three weeks later in the exquisite Sistine Chapel. Although, theoretically, the selection process could take months, experts predict the cardinals will reach a conclusion relatively swiftly, as in recent times, in order to present a unified face to the Catholic world.

  Although the conclave to elect the new pope is not going to begin until the middle of May, behind the scenes, the debate amongst the cardinals has begun in earnest. Those over 80 are barred from taking part in the election, but Vatican watchers are certain that they are using their influence to try to pressure their younger colleagues to bend to their will.

  David Willey, Author, "The Promise of Francis: The Man, the Pope, and the Challenge of Change": I think this is going to be the mother of all conclaves, because there is going to be a very, very strong debate in secret in the Vatican over the next three weeks between those cardinals who would be happier to see a more traditionalist pope take over from Francis and those who want his reforms to continue.

• Malcolm Brabant:

  Author of "The Promise of Francis," David Willey is a renowned Vatican expert, having covered eight papacies. While conservatives within the Catholic hierarchy seek a return to traditional strict values, Willey believes that, if the church wants to remain relevant, it can't turn the clock back.

• David Willey:

  For most ordinary people, the issues at stake are pretty simple, contraception, homosexuality, abortion. These are all issues which affect all families.

  And I think that the church is going to have to deal with them on a much more human level than in the past, when it's tended to be dogmatic.

• Malcolm Brabant:

  Although conservatives remain influential, Willey doubts they will muster a majority among the 135 cardinals eligible to vote in the conclave.

• David Willey:

  It's only fair to say that more than 100 of the cardinals who were taking part in the election were appointed by Pope Francis himself. So the chances are that you're going to get somebody who is very much in tune with the sort of papacy that we have just witnessed.

• Malcolm Brabant:

  Across Africa, where Catholicism is surging, nearly 300 million people are hoping that the conclave will elect an African pope. Africa is more conservative than Europe. Religious leaders there believe that a liberal agenda has contributed to the demise of the church.

  Geoffroy Kouakou rector of Lady of Peace Basilica in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast.

  Rector Geoffroy Kouadio Kouakou, Basilica of Our Lady of Peace (through interpreter): We pray to God that the new pope who will come will be an even more courageous pope, one who dares to make decisions against everything that is being spread in the name of globalization and civilization.

• Jean Luc Gbrere, Catholic Worshiper (through interpreter):

  So, for the next pope who will come, my greatest wish is that he be a Black man.

• Malcolm Brabant:

  As funeral preparations gather pace, Catholics are assessing Francis' legacy of groundbreaking leadership.

  Bishop Paul Tighe, Secretary, Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education: I think he has helped the church to remember, yes, we are an institution, but we are primarily a community. We're a community of people who are privileged to have belief in God and who journey with others who don't necessarily have that faith.

  But we journey together to try and make this a better world. And that I think is his legacy. It's to say look your faith is something that should push you and encourage you to be working with others for the betterment of our world.

• Malcolm Brabant:

  He was the first pope to endorse same-sex civil unions and called for the universal decriminalization of homosexuality. And while he raised women's profile within the church, Pope Francis maintained the status quo by ensuring the priesthood remained an exclusively male preserve.

  While his orders outraged conservative traditionalists, others argued that he didn't go far enough. Pope Francis also infuriated Israel, because of his opposition to the war in Gaza and his support for the Palestinians.

  But, today, in one of the most important shrines in Christendom, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa paid tribute to Pope Francis for advocating peace right until his death.

• Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch, Jerusalem:

  With the beginning of the war 7th of October, the connection was stronger. And especially, as everyone knows, he was very close to the community of Gaza, the parish of Gaza. He kept calling the evening of 7th, became for the community something stable and also comforting for them. And he knew this.

• Malcolm Brabant:

  But those thoughts aren't shared by the Israeli government, which deleted an online post offering condolences on the pontiff's passing. In death, it seems, Francis is still having an impact in the Middle East.

  For the "PBS News Hour" I'm Malcolm Brabant in Rome.

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