The first thing the new pope will do is choose a name. In the history of the papacy, the most commonly used name has been John, first chosen in 523 by Saint John I, the Vatican says. The last pope to choose that name was Italian Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, elected Pope John XXIII, in 1958. Roncalli was proclaimed a saint by Pope Francis in 2014.

The potential influence of the spiritual leader of 1.4 billion Catholics attracts the attention of the secular world as well.

A new leader of the Catholic church is expected to be chosen in the coming days following the death of Pope Francis on April 21. The beloved Argentinian pope died from a cerebral stroke followed by heart failure. After his April 26 funeral and burial at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, the Catholic Church began a nine-day mourning period.