An Irish-born American cardinal was entrusted by Pope Francis to be the camerlengo, the Vatican official who runs the Holy See after the death of one pontiff and before the election of another.

Following Pope Francis' death Monday at age 88, the Vatican will have an acting head until a new pontiff is chosen during the conclave process. That acting head, or camerlengo, is Cardinal Kevin Farrell,

Worshippers will flock to the Vatican in the coming days to farewell Pope Francis, including the Cardinals who will elect his successor. Former representative to the Holy See, Sir David Moxon, says the Pope chose most of the Cardinals - so he'd expect them to value a warm and loving Church.

The pontiff’s death initiated a well-structured series of rituals designed to mourn the loss of the 1.3 billion-member church’s leader and to ensure stability with the selection of a new pope.