Pope conclave and funeral: What happens after Pope Francis dies

What happens after Pope Francis' death: A series of traditions ruling his funeral and how to choose the new pope at the conclave.

In life, Pope Francis strayed from the more conservative path forged by his predecessors Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict.

But in death, Francis will be following in many of John Paul’s footsteps.

The demise of the first Argentine to lead the Roman Catholic Church set into motion a series of rituals, some of which go back more than 2,000 years and have been used to bury more than 250 popes.

They are compiled in a more than 400-page tome called the “Ordo exsequiarum Romani pontificis,” which includes the liturgy, music and prayers used for papal funerals over the centuries.

“The Ordo covers the rituals that are followed from the moment a pope dies to the moment a pope is buried,” said the Rev. David Collins, an associate professor and the director of Catholic studies at Georgetown University.