As they entered the Vatican to participate in a series of meetings leading up to the election of Pope Francis’ successor, several cardinals spoke to the media, emphasizing that they are still mourning the Argentine pontiff — not yet choosing his successor.

Pope Francis must be remembered for his deep Marian piety. In speaking to a group of young people in Rome on June 29, 2014 — the Solemnity of St. Peter and Paul — he famously said: “A Christian without the Madonna is an orphan.”

Pope Francis’ funeral is scheduled for April 26 at 10 a.m. Rome time (4 a.m. EDT in Baltimore) in St. Peter’s Square, with burial to follow at Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major.

After the casket bearing Pope Francis’ body was placed in St. Peter’s Basilica, tens of thousands of mourners lined up to pay their respects.

Novels and films that include or revolve around a conclave often include nefarious plotting, or at least politicking, and attempts to wing it when it comes to the rules for electing a new pope.

Asserting that the Catholic Church needed the gifts and experiences of women, Pope Francis appointed several women to top positions in the Roman Curia, including the first female prefect of a major dicastery, and worked to ensure their contributions were recognized in parishes and dioceses around the world.

The pontificate of Pope Francis did not result in breakthrough theological agreements with other Christians, but huge strides were made in personal relations and practical cooperation.

As the pope of the peripheries, Pope Francis brought the heart, mind and soul of the Catholic Church in Latin America from what he called the “ends of the earth” to the center of Christendom.

The impact of Pope Francis’ papacy upon Catholic marriage and family life will be extensively studied, debated and commentated upon in the weeks following his death on April 21.

Pope Francis’ approach to key issues including his concern for the environment, immigration and abortion did not fit neatly into American political ideologies, Catholic political and theology experts told OSV News.