After Pope Francis, what do young Catholics want next?
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On Monday, just one day after wishing thousands of people a happy Easter from the balcony at St Peter's Square in the Vatican, Pope Francis died. Dear brothers and sisters, with deep pain I must announce the death of our holy father, Francis.

He had led the Roman Catholic Church for more than a decade. It's the biggest branch of Christianity, with roughly 1.4 billion Catholics around the world. The Vatican has said Pope Francis died following a stroke, after being ill with pneumonia in both lungs. And his death also starts the centuries-old tradition of choosing a successor.

Today you're going to hear how this mysterious process works and what young people from around the world want from their new Pope. I'm Hannah Gelbart and this is What In The World from the BBC World Service.

First of all, let's hear about Pope Francis's life. Sofia Betteza is a BBC reporter who was in Rome when he died. Pope Francis was born in Buenos Aires in Argentina and he was the first Latin American pope. And in fact, he was the first non-European pope in more than a thousand years. Before joining the church, he worked a mix of everyday jobs and then he became a Jesuit priest.

As Pope, his views on divorce and LGBTQ rights were seen as bold and even radical by some within Catholicism. He said everyone was invited to the church, including people who are divorced, homosexual or transgender. And he spoke about migration, social justice and climate change.

He was criticized at times over his handling of child sex abuse scandals, but he was also remembered and praised for speaking to victims and bringing in new rules to hold clergy to account. And I was actually at the Vatican in St. Peter's Square speaking to people shortly after his death was announced.

Maria is 16 and from Spain. I want to be thankful for all the messages the Pope has given to us throughout all these years, especially to young people.

And those messages have encouraged us to continue believing in God and all his thoughts. And this is Rafa from Brazil and Bosi from Hungary, who are studying in Rome. He lived a quite colorful life and I think that he moved the church in the right direction. Yeah, I think it's the same. He was a very progressive pope. His opinions on gay marriage and how the church should view that, I think it was very different from the pope before.

And here's someone in the Philippines, which has the world's third largest Catholic population.

I am Sheryl from the Philippines. Being Catholic in the Philippines isn't just a religion, it's a way of life. It's the feeling of community at Sunday Mass. It's a big part of who I am. Pope Francis' life and teachings have deeply resonated with me and my family. Father Michael Trail is an American Puerto Rican priest in Chicago. In many ways, I think he's invited people who perhaps

perhaps have left the church for various reasons due to family dynamics or differences of belief or opinion. He's invited a lot of people to reconsider to see what does it mean to be Catholic and what does it mean to be church and how can someone feel welcome in perhaps a place that historically they may not have felt welcome or seen or accepted. So that's some of what Pope Francis will be remembered for. But what's next?

Well, when a pope dies, it marks the beginning of a carefully choreographed process. First, the death is formally confirmed by the Vatican and the papal apartments are sealed. The pope's body lies in state for people to come and pay their respects. There are nine days of mourning and the burial itself. Meanwhile, the Catholic Church starts preparing for the conclave. That's the election of a new pope. This process is as secretive as it is symbolic.

Cardinals, who are the church's most senior officials, come from all over the world to gather in Rome. They have to be under the age of 80 to vote. Inside the Sistine Chapel, with its famous ceiling painted by Michelangelo, the voting takes place behind locked doors.

The cardinals take a vow of secrecy and they're completely cut off from the outside world. There are no phones, no internet, no newspapers or TV. The rooms are also checked for recording devices. Then there are rounds of voting which go on and on until one name gets two-thirds of the votes. And this can take days or weeks.

During this time, for the outside world, the only clue as to what's going on is a plume of smoke. Black smoke means no decision. White smoke means the Catholic Church has chosen its new leader. If they accept, the new Pope will then choose his papal name. Then he'll appear on the balcony at St Peter's Basilica in his new robes, where it's announced to crowds of people: "Abe mus Papa!" We have a Pope.

Now, pomp and ceremony aside, people around the world will be hoping for a new pope that reflects their values. Africa is one of the fastest growing regions for the church, with more than 280 million followers, according to Vatican data. We heard from young people in Nigeria about the qualities they're looking for. Here's Nemi, who's a photographer in Abuja. I'm very hopeful for the church to be a place where people can come and see the church.

Pope Francis is someone who always preached love, unity and peace and I hope the next Pope is one who preaches the same and someone who encourages young people to be more dedicated and actively participate in the Church. I think the Church should do more in the area of digital media engagement in a bid to reach out to the younger population of Catholics all over the world.

and get the message of the church to the younger generation because indeed the future of the church lies in young people. My name is Roseline. I'm 26 and in Abuja. I'm looking forward to a kind of Pope that will strengthen the tradition of the Catholic Church as it appears nowadays that the traditions change

some of our doctrines are being modernized in a way that the true meaning of the tradition are being lost. It's actually worrisome to see that most churches are trying so hard to become modernized and leaving the faith, the tradition of the church. So I'm looking forward to a Pope that will take a stand that will prevent

and preserve the belief, the traditions of the church. My name is Obiejece Olugubi and I'm 21 years old. So first of all, we need an outspoken Pope. Somebody who is not too harsh or strict. Somebody who is friendly. We need a vibrant person. Like somebody who can establish a law. And I mean, is it not a high time to take into consideration having an African Pope? Because in decades, like for years...

We've never heard or seen an African pope. And we have many willing personnels and cardinals who are willing. And what about elsewhere? Ashley is from Colombia and lives in the UK. This is what he wants for the next pope. To have a face that really shows God's mercy and love and that he really invites everyone. I think also that I'd like one that respects our traditions and really holds God in the status which we truly believe that he holds.

And I think I'd like the Pope to utilize the medium of the current day using talking about artificial intelligence, social media like Pope Francis has on Twitter.

to really reach everyone. And in the US, there are 53 million Catholics like Michael. Hi, my name is Michael. I'm from Tampa, Florida. And what I'd like to see in the next Pope that gets elected would be pretty much the same progressive values as Pope Francis, like calling for ceasefires, advocating for the poor and oppressed, and actually caring about human beings. With the added twist of...

Michael mentioned a ceasefire. Pope Francis called for an Israel-Gaza ceasefire many times, even on Easter Sunday in his final address. So

So now you're going to hear from someone living in Gaza. He says that the sadness he feels is beyond words, that the Pope was the Pope of all humanity, including Muslims and Christians. That brings us to the end of this episode. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Hannah Gelbart. This is What In The World from the BBC World Service, and we'll see you next time.