A conclave to choose a new pope normally takes place 15 to 20 days after the death of a pontiff, meaning this conclave should not start before May 6.

The public viewing of Pope Francis' casket is scheduled to resume Thursday, a day after it began with numbers that were so strong that the Vatican said it would consider longer hours to meet the demand.

Rome is in mourning as the world says goodbye to Pope Francis, a transformative leader and spiritual guide to more than a billion Catholics. His death marks the end of an era and sets in motion a series of historic religious events that will impact travel to Rome and Vatican City in the coming weeks.