Pope's funeral to take place on Saturday as Vatican releases new photos of his coffin

The news from the Vatican came as the first images of the late pontiff were published.

The Vatican has released new photos of Pope Francis in an open coffin after he died in Monday. He was pictured lying in a wooden coffin, dressed in red with rosary beads draped across his hands.

Details of Francis's funeral have also been confirmed, with mass to take place at 10am local time on Saturday, celebrated by the dean of the College of Cardinals.

Francis died after a cerebral stroke that led to a coma and irreversible heart failure, the Vatican said on Monday.

A new Pope will be selected in the coming weeks.

The Vatican said on Monday that a special rite confirming the death of the Pope and the placement of his body in its coffin took place that evening.

The official declaration of death was read aloud, and the act was validated by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Catholic church, in a ceremony lasting around an hour.

Seals were also placed on the papal apartment on the third floor of the Apostolic Palace and on the apartment on the second floor of Casa Santa Marta, where the Pope had lived.

Cardinal Farrell will carry out the administrative and financial duties of the Holy See until a new pope takes over.

On Tuesday morning, the first General Congregation of Cardinals will take place, during which a potential date for the funeral may be decided.

The funeral must be held between four and six days after the death, and the date is set to be announced after the cardinals meet on Tuesday morning.

Tributes poured in from around the world on Monday, including from the King and other world leaders, with many praising the Pope for his advocacy for the marginalised.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Francis had been "a Pope for the poor, the downtrodden and the forgotten".

He was described by the King, whom he met in recent weeks, as someone who had "profoundly touched the lives of so many".

Before the cardinals, senior members of the Catholic Church, convene in the Sistine Chapel for the conclave - the secret meeting at which a new pope will be elected - the Church enters a period called "sede vacante", or "the vacant See".

The Pope's body will remain in the chapel for a few days before being brought for public viewing in St Peter's Basilica, as per new rites Francis approved last year.

The public will likely be able to begin paying their final respects to Francis starting on Wednesday, the Vatican said.

US President Donald Trump said on social media he and his wife Melania plan to attend the funeral.After the funeral, there are nine days of official mourning, known as the "novendiali".

To give everyone time to assemble, the conclave must begin 15 to 20 days after the sede vacante is declared, but it can start sooner if the cardinals agree.

Cardinals, including the Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Vincent Nichols, and Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe, from London, will take part in the vote for the next pope.

Both aged 79, the pair are just below the cut-off for voting as part of the conclave.

Only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote in a conclave - they are known as the cardinal electors and their number is limited to 120.

Asked about the next pope at a press conference on Monday, Cardinal Nichols told reporters: "He has to be a man of great inner strength, and I think great inner peace."

He added: "I think those inner capacities of closeness to God and peace are the absolute essentials."

Cardinal Radcliffe said: "I think that we always open ourselves to be surprised. All recent popes have been quite different from each other."