Following the death of 88-year-old Pope Francis on Easter Monday, several cardinals who were already in Rome, or who traveled only short distances to arrive, held the first of several meetings ' general congregations ' to discuss preparations for the papal funeral and the election to follow. The College of Cardinals ' which will elect the next pope ' has 252 members, but only 135 can vote. Only those younger than 80 as of the day of a pope's death may cast a ballot. Theoretically, church law allows the College of Cardinals to elect any Catholic man in the world to become the next pope ' but in reality, as has been the case for more than 600 years, one of those cardinal-electors will almost certainly be Francis' successor. Bishops supervised local church communities and presided at liturgical ceremonies in the main churches ' cathedrals. Priests advised the bishops and led individual communities ' parishes. Deacons tended to the needs of the poor, widows and orphans and took care of...
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