Pope Francis died April 21 at the age of 88 after serving as head of the Catholic church for12 years.

Father Rusty Vincent, pastor at St. Paul’s Catholic Church, said as of now, things are continuing as usual for the local church.

Vincent has also been answering questions for students at Vicksburg Catholic School who are curious what happens next. The school has displayed a picture of Pope Francis at the entrance of the building during the time of mourning and will be taking time during theology classes to discuss the process of choosing a new pope.

“In the interim, there is someone at the Vatican who takes over as an administrator of the church,” Vincent said. “But no decisions are made. The church keeps functioning for the day-to-day stuff.”

Pope Francis has been lying in state at St. Peter’s Basilica, Vincent said, and mourners are able to view his body.

“There are nine days of mourning,” he said.

During the time of mourning, Vincent said he has placed a picture of Pope Francis in the chapel at St. Paul’s so people may come and offer prayers for him.

“We’ll have mass for him. His name now won’t be mentioned as the current pope, since he is deceased. That will be omitted right now from our liturgy, but he will be prayed for as well,” Vincent said.

The funeral will take place in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City Saturday.

Unlike most popes, Francis will not be buried under St. Peter’s Basilica, but instead opted to be buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, according to The Holy See, the website for the Vatican.

Vincent explained what is known as “The Conclave” will begin in the days following the funeral. The term “conclave” means “a private meeting” but has become synonymous with the gathering of cardinals in the Catholic church, a group that will remain in seclusion until a new pope has been chosen.

Vincent said it’s not practical at this point to speculate who the next pope will be.

“Whether we have someone similar like Francis or someone with a different mindset, a different approach, you can’t tell,” he said. “We want to make sure we have a church experience that can reach all people.”

There are around 100 cardinals who will choose the next pope, according to Vincent.

“All cardinals under the age of 80 will gather. They will be the ones electing the next pope,” he said.

“Typically, they will pick from among themselves, but they’re not limited to that,” Vincent said, meaning the cardinals could choose a priest who is not at the level of a cardinal. “The only requirement for election of popes is a Catholic male, but they typically pick amongst the cardinals, because it would be someone they would be familiar with.”

The conclave is a closed meeting.

“Other than some administrative people, there’s no information coming in or out, really,” Vincent said.

There is no time limit on the conclave, although it typically lasts three or four days.

As in the movie, “The Conclave,” Vincent said, Hollywood drama aside, the voting process was accurately depicted. Cardinals are sequestered in the Vatican with no contact with the outside world. They meet in the Sistine Chapel where they write down the name of the candidate they wish to vote for and deposit the vote into an urn as they recite an oath in Latin. The votes are read out loud and the process repeated until a majority two-thirds vote has been achieved. Votes are burned. An additive to the paper to color the smoke white indicates a majority vote has been reached and the world outside knows a new pope has been chosen.

“Once the white smoke appears (during the time of the conclave), usually within an hour or so, they make the announcement of the pope and the new pope makes an appearance,” Vincent said.