FILE PHOTO: Pope Francis opens the Holy Door to mark the opening of the Catholic Holy Year, or Jubilee, in St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, December 8, 2015. REUTERS/Max Rossi/File Photo
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -With the death of Pope Francis, announced by the Vatican on Monday, the Roman Catholic Church will begin elaborate rituals steeped in tradition that mark the end of one papacy and lead to the start of the next.
Most are governed by a constitution known as Universi Dominici Gregis (Of the Lord's Whole Flock) approved by Pope John Paul II in 1996 and revised by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007 and 2013.
