An Irish-born cardinal made the announcement to the world that Pope Francis had died.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, 77, confirmed that the head of the Catholic Church had died on Easter Monday after serious bouts of ill health, including pneumonia.
Cardinal Farrell was appointed Camerlengo - or key keeper - of the Holy Roman Church by Pope Francis in February 2019.
He will perform a crucial role during the current "sede vacante" period when the Church is without a pontiff.
Kevin Joseph Farrell was born in Dublin on 2 September 1947 and lived on Galtymore Park in Drimnagh.
After finishing secondary school, he left Ireland to attend the University of Salamanca in Spain and then the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, before being ordained as a priest on 24 December, 1978.
"It was an Irish man, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who actually made the official announcement of the Pope's death to the world," Fr Michael Collins, an author who has published books about Pope Francis, said.
"He is what's called the Camerlengo, the key keeper, and he's got the position of verifying the Pope's death," he told RTÉ radio.
Cardinal Farrell is now responsible for the day-to-day running of the Vatican and will be assisted by three other cardinals.
He will lead the meetings to determine the date of Pope Francis's funeral, and supervise other organisational tasks, culminating in the Conclave to elect the next pope.
As Camerlengo, he has the right to ask all the Vatican departments for budget reports, economic information and details on other ongoing affairs.
Cardinal Farrell spent the bulk of his priesthood in the United States, including nearly 30 years in the Washington DC area and nine years in Dallas, and also served as chaplain at the University of Monterrey in Mexico.
In 2016, he was asked by Pope Francis to lead the newly-created Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, and moved to Rome for his first Vatican posting, and was created a cardinal.
Since January 2024, Cardinal Farrell has also been president of the Vatican City State Supreme Court.
