Pope Francis' funeral to take place on April 26, Vatican confirms

The Vatican said the pope's funeral will be held at 10 a.m. local time (0800GMT).

The decision comes at cardinals meeting early Tuesday, while the conclave to elect a new pope will begin from May 5.

Pope Francis was admitted to a hospital in Rome in February with bronchitis, which developed into bilateral pneumonia. He was discharged after 38 days to continue his recovery in his Vatican residence.

He died on Monday at the age of 88.