Pope Francis ’ funeral has been set for Saturday at 10 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square, and a viewing of his body will begin on Wednesday in St. Peter’s Basilica, days after the popular pontiff died of a stroke at age 88. He is currently lying in state in the Santa Marta Domus in a private viewing for Vatican residents and the papal household.

Cardinals met at the Vatican on Tuesday to schedule Francis’ funeral and burial, plan the conclave to elect his successor and make other decisions about running the Catholic Church as world leaders and the ordinary faithful grieve the pontiff’s death.

History’s first Latin American pontiff charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated many conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change. He last appeared in public on Sunday with an Easter blessing and popemobile tour through a cheering crowd in St. Peter’s Square.

Here’s the latest:

Italy begins five days of mourning for Francis

The period of national mourning will run from Tuesday to Saturday. Ceremonies on Friday marking Italy’s World War II Liberation Day will be held with “due sobriety,” said Italy’s Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci.

Palestinians in Bethlehem mourn Pope Francis at Manger Square

Bethlehem is home to the Church of the Nativity, where Christians believe Jesus was born. Pope Francis visited the city in 2014.

“He was our pope, not just our pope, he was our brother, our friend, our dear friend for Bethlehem. He always gave us big hope, he told us that you are not alone,” said Rony Tabash, 43. The Catholic hung photos of Pope Francis outside his souvenir shop that’s been in his family for three generations.

Manger Square and Tuesday’s mass were mostly empty. The Palestinian city in the Israeli-occupied West Bank is dependent on tourism, but visitors and pilgrims have largely stayed away in recent years — first during the pandemic and then during the 18-month war in Gaza.

Work is underway to prepare Francis’ tomb

A wooden barrier on Tuesday covered the niche where Pope Francis will be buried in the Saint Mary Major Basilica, near an icon of Mary that he held dear, rather than St. Peter’s Cathedral or its crypt alongside previous popes

In his will, Francis called for his tomb to be “in the ground; simple, without particular decoration, and with the sole inscription: Franciscus,’’ or Latin for Francis.

Before and after every foreign trip, he would stop to pray before the image of Mary draped in a blue robe, holding the infant Jesus. Francis last went to pray at the icon before Holy Week.

St. Peter’s Basilica will stay open late so the faithful can pay their last respects to Pope Francis

Francis is currently lying in state in the Santa Marta Domus in a private viewing for Vatican residents and the papal household. The Vatican says his body will be transferred Wednesday morning to St. Peter’s Basilica, where he will lie in state from 11 a.m. until midnight on Wednesday, from 7 a.m. until midnight on Thursday, and Friday from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.

Once in St. Peter’s, his casket will not be put on an elevated bier — as was the case with past popes — but will just be be placed simply facing the pews, with the Paschal candle nearby. The basilica is normally open from 7 a.m. until 7:10 p.m.

Security increased in Rome as holy city prepares for crowds

Italian police patrolled St Peter’s Square and the surrounding streets on foot and horseback Tuesday as security in Rome was tightened ahead of Pope Francis’ funeral. Officers in boats controlled the nearby Tiber River.

Tens of thousands of mourners are expected to pay their respects to Francis as he lies in state in St. Peter’s Basilica starting Wednesday. The funeral on Saturday will be attended by many heads of state.

Rome was already packed with tourists, many in the city for the Easter holiday. A Jubilee Mass for adolescents on Sunday is expected to bring thousands of youths to the city.

Day of national mourning in Poland

Poland has declared a day of national mourning on Saturday for the funeral of Pope Francis.

The office of President Andrzej Duda also said that Duda plans to attend the ceremony.

Poland was the homeland of Pope John Paul II, whose death in 2005 prompted a national outpouring of grief. But the response has been more muted this time in a country that has become noticeably more secular.

Cardinals suspend all upcoming beatifications

The cardinals planning the next steps for the Catholic Church following the death of Pope Francis have decided to suspend all upcoming beatifications, pending the election of a new pope.

The decision was taken during the first meeting of the College of Cardinals on Tuesday.

The Vatican had already announced that Sunday’s planned canonization of the first millennial saint, Carlo Acutis, was suspended. But the decision from the cardinals means all other celebrations are on hold until a new pope is elected.

The decision is in keeping with Vatican norms governing the “interregnum” period between the death of one pope and the election of another. Among other things, those norms call for most top Vatican officials to officially lose their jobs until they are reconfirmed or replaced by a new pope.