All eyes turn to conclave after Pope's funeral ends

VATICAN: With Pope Francis laid to rest, all eyes now turn to the conclave, the secretive meeting of cardinals set to convene within days to elect a new head of the Catholic Church.

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Alongside world leaders and reigning monarchs, an estimated 400,000 people turned out on Saturday for the Argentine pontiff's funeral at the Vatican and burial in Rome.

The crowds were a testament to the popularity of Francis, an energetic reformer who championed the poorest and most vulnerable.

Many of those mourning the late pope, who died on Monday aged 88, expressed anxiety about who would succeed him.

"He ended up transforming the Church into something more normal, more human," said Romina Cacciatore, 48, an Argentinian translator living in Italy.

"I'm worried about what's coming."

Today at 9am Rome time, cardinals will hold their fifth general meeting since the pope's death, at which they are expected to announce a date for the conclave.

Held behind locked doors in the frescoed Sistine Chapel, the election of a pope has been a subject of public fascination for centuries.

Cardinal-electors will cast four votes a day until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority, a result broadcast to the waiting world by burning papers that emit white smoke.