Vatican releases first images of Pope Francis in open coffin (Photos)

The Vatican City has released the first images of Pope Francis in a casket.

Pope Francis is seen in an open wooden casket, in red vestments, bishop’s miter, and a rosary placed in his hands as the Vatican secretary of state,  Cardinal Pietro Parolin prays over him.

The images were taken inside the private chapel of the Casa Santa Marta, his Vatican residence, where he passed away on Monday at the age of 88.

The visuals come just a day after Pope Francis died of a cerebral stroke, which led to a coma and irreversible heart failure.

Dr Andrea Arcangeli, director of the Directorate of Health and Hygiene of the Vatican City State, certified the cause of death in an official medical report, which also detailed the pontiff’s long-standing health issues, including Type II diabetes, high blood pressure, and a history of respiratory failure and bilateral pneumonia.

He made his final public appearance just a day before his passing, briefly greeting crowds from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica on Easter Sunday, although he was too frail to deliver the full traditional message.

His death was officially recorded at 7:35 am (local time) on April 21 through electrocardiographic thanatography, according to the Vatican.

Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, was the first pope from Latin America.