Pope Francis, who died today at the age of 88, was the first ever pope from the Americas and an austere Jesuit intellectual who modernised Argentina’s conservative Catholic church. He was 76 when he was elected and got his name changed to St. Francis of Assisi from Jorge Bergoglio.

With the announcement of his death today, the pressing question of his replacement arises. What does this process look like? How was it done in the past?

The next pope will be chosen by the College of Cardinals, the Catholic church’s most senior figures appointed by the pontiff, who will make their way to Rome in the next few days for the conclave, according to The Guardian.

Francis appointed nearly 80 per cent of the cardinal electors who will choose the next pope, increasing the possibility that his successor will continue his progressive policies, despite the strong pushback from traditionalists.

Who took office as the first pope and how many have been there before? Was there any pope that refused to take office? Since the institution has existed for nearly 2,000 years, there are many lesser-known and inuqie facts related to its history. Here are some of the most commonly asked questions — and a few answers, compiled by ABC News.

Who can be pope?

Even though only cardinals have been elected for the last 600-plus years to be pope, but according to the Canon law any unmarried, baptized male Catholic, clergy or not, is eligible to be pope.

Who was the very first pope?

The first pope was St. Peter, after whom St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City is named. According to the church St. Peter was appointed by Christ. For the first thousand years, approval from at least one secular party was required once the church selected a successor to make the choosing of the next pope both “fractious and extremely political”.

“The papal election process as we currently recognize it began with Pope Nicholas II, the 155th pope, who in 1059 issued a landmark bull, or edict, that contained major church reforms, among them giving the sole power of papal election to the College of Cardinals — a responsibility they retain to this day”.

How many popes have there been?

Over almost 2,000 years and three millennia, there has been a total of 266 popes in the Catholic Church. However, all those elected had had specific qualifications to hold the post.

Nearly 40 of these popes were considered illegitimate for mainly being appointed by “secular rulers or warring factions” of the church, hence, not officially counted by the Vatican.

“The last of these so-called antipopes was Felix V, whose roughly nine-and-a-half-year reign ended in 1449.”

With a total of 10 years and 50 days, there have been five periods without a pope and an active papal selection process.

Has anyone ever rejected being elected pope?

There have not been many such instances, but that being said, the first person to have done so was St. Philip Benizi, in 1271, who “ reportedly was so opposed to being elected that he ran away and hid until another candidate was chosen“.

The late 16th century St. Charles Borromeo and Cardinal Giovanni Colombo, were among those who rejected papacy.

Why do popes change their names, and do they have to?

Tradition!

“Immediately after affirming that he accepts his election, the ceremonial second question a new pope is asked is, ‘By what name shall you be known?’”

The tradition of changing names began with the 56th pope, John II, elected in the year 533, “who felt that using his birth name — Mercurius — was inappropriate because of its association with the Roman god Mercury”. However, you are not required to change your name.

In fact, the practice of choosing a papal name remained inconsistent for the next 1,000 years, with most popes using their baptismal names. It is a practice that became mroe common with some “non-Italian popes […] to make it easier for Romans to pronounce it”.

“Pope Marcellus II, elected in 1555, was the last to use his baptismal name. His successor, Giovanni Pietro, chose the papal name Paul IV, and the practice has continued uninterrupted since. The tradition is now seen as a way for the new pope to signal which of his predecessors he will emulate”.

Pope Francis chose to change his name to St. Francis as it “inspired him as ‘the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who loves and protects creation.’”

What are the most-used papal names?

By being taken by 23 pope, John has been the most popular papal name so far. With Gregory being the second msot popular with 16 uses. “Benedict is tied for second, also with 16 uses, with the most recent being Pope Francis’ predecessor, Benedict XVI.”

“Following Gregory and Benedict, there have been 14 Clements, 13 Innocents, 13 Leos, and 12 popes to use Pius. It’s single-digits from there on, with 44 out of 266 papal names used only once.”

Who was pope for the longest/shortest time?

Even though it is impossible to verify, the church officially recognizes St. Peter, the first pope, as the longest-serving, with at least 34 years.

“The record for shortest time as pope goes to Urban VII, who died of malaria in September 1590 after just 13 days in office.”

Who was the youngest/oldest pope?

“At 81 years old, Pope Gregory XII was the oldest pope at time of election, in November 1406. The youngest was John XII, who is believed to have been just 18 years old when he was elected in 955 as the 130th pope.”

Bonus fact: Who makes the pope’s clothes?

The Gammarelli family tailors in Rome have been given the responsibility of manufacturing the pope’s vestments and off-the-rack liturgical garments since 1978, with their first manufacture for Pope Pious VI.

“While a new pope is being chosen, the Gammarellis prepare three sets of vestments in small, medium and large sizes so they will be ready to be worn immediately by the new pope, who makes his first public appearance within hours of election.”

Despite the care taken, those ready-to-wear initial papal vestments didn’t always do the trick.

“Pope John XXIII, who was five feet, six inches tall and weighed close to 200 pounds when elected in 1958, donned the small-size vestments by mistake for his first public appearance, requiring attendants to slit them up the back so that they appeared to fit from the front.”