Pope Francis died on Easter Monday at the age of 88 from a stroke and irreversible heart failure, and was in a coma before his death early on Monday morning. The Pope had already planned a low-key funeral for himself, forgoing some of the traditional rituals and ceremonies that are held when a Pope dies, according to Politico.
But his death, for better or worse, immediately sets in motion a strictly elaborate series of events developed over centuries and hundreds of dead popes. Some Vatican traditions date back to ancient Rome.
Death
Traditionally, the death of a pope is confirmed by the chamberlain, or the highest official of the Vatican. The announcement was made on Monday morning by Irish-born Cardinal Kevin Farrell.
“Dear brothers and sisters, it is with deep sadness that I have to announce the death of our Holy Father Pope Francis. This morning at 7:35 a.m., Bishop Francis of Rome returned to the Father’s house,” he said.
Traditionally, Farrell would be the one to visit Pope Francis’ body in his private chapel and call his name to wake him. Nowadays, it is mostly a ceremonial event, as doctors will have confirmed the pontiff’s death.
When the Pope does not answer, the papal signet ring is destroyed to mark the end of his reign and the papal apartments are closed. Following tradition, Cardinal Farrell must inform the College of Cardinals, and only then is the Pope’s death officially announced to the world.
Mourning period
After the Pope’s death, a nine-day period of mourning known as the “Novendi” begins, which was originally a tradition in ancient Rome. In Italy, a period of national mourning is also usually declared.
His body is blessed, dressed in papal vestments and displayed in St Peter’s Basilica for public viewing, where people and dignitaries can pay their respects. In the past, the Pope’s remains were displayed on a raised platform called a catafalque, but Francis has indicated that he wants a simplified funeral and will be laid to rest in an open coffin without so much pomp and pageantry.
Historically, popes were often embalmed and some had their organs removed before burial – in the Church of the Trevi Fountain in Rome, marble urns contain the hearts of more than 20 popes, preserved as holy relics – but this practice is no longer common.
Daily prayer services and Requiem Masses will be held in St Peter’s Basilica and throughout the Catholic world.
At this time, the Vatican enters a period called “sede vacante”, meaning “the seat is vacant”, during which the College of Cardinals temporarily rules the country until a new Pope is elected.
Burial
Pope Francis’ funeral will take place on Saturday, the 26th of April, at 10.00 local time in St Peter’s Basilica, according to a Vatican statement. Giovanni Battista Re, the 91-year-old Italian dean of the College of Cardinals, will likely preside.
Traditionally, the Pope is buried in the Vatican Grottoes, the crypts beneath St Peter’s Basilica, but Pope Francis confirmed in his last will that he wanted to be buried in the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome. It is one of his favourite churches, making him the first Pope in a century to be buried outside the Vatican.
The will, published on Monday evening, states that Francis wants to be buried “in a ground without special decoration” but with an inscription in Latin that spells out his papal name: “Franciscus”.
He will also be buried in a single coffin made of wood and zinc, unlike previous Popes who were buried in three nested coffins. Francis is likely to be buried with a “rogito”, a document describing his life and papacy, similar to the one placed in Benedict XVI’s coffin.
Elections
Two to three weeks after the Pope’s funeral, the College of Cardinals will gather in the Sistine Chapel to hold a conclave – a very secret process for electing a new Pope. In theory, any baptised Roman Catholic man can become Pope, but for the past 700 years the Pope has always been chosen from the College of Cardinals
Most of the 266 pontiffs elected in history have been European. Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina, is the first non-European pontiff in 1 300 years.
Papal candidates do not campaign openly. Cardinals who have a good chance of becoming Pope are called “popeable”.
On the day of the vote, the Sistine Chapel, with its famous Michelangelo ceiling, is closed and cardinals who have taken an oath of secrecy are locked in. Only Cardinals under 80 years of age are eligible to vote. Some 120 cardinals will vote in secret for the candidate of their choice by writing their name on a ballot paper and placing it in a cup placed on the altar.
If no candidate receives the required two-thirds majority, another round of voting takes place. Up to four rounds may take place in one day. The conclave that elected Pope Francis in 2013 lasted about 24 hours and involved five votes, but the process can take longer; in the 13th century it took about three years and in the 18th century it took four months.
Once the ballots have been counted, they are burned in a furnace inside the Sistine Chapel, which was previously installed by the Vatican fire brigade. A second oven burns a chemical that sends a smoke signal up the chimney: black smoke means that the new Pope has not been chosen, white smoke means that the Pope has been chosen.
The new Pope
Once the Pope has been chosen, a representative of the College of Cardinals traditionally reads the Latin announcement “Habemus papam”, meaning “We have a Pope”, from the main balcony of St Peter’s Basilica.
Then the newly elected Pope, having chosen a papal name (probably one that honours a saint or predecessor) and donning a white robe, goes out onto the balcony to make his first address. And with that, the Catholic world has a new leader.
Bookmakers and Vatican watchers had already begun to speculate about possible successors when the pontiff’s health deteriorated.
The next pontiff will inherit a deeply divided Church struggling with ideological tensions over issues such as LGBTQ+ inclusion and clergy abuse, while also navigating a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape riven by territorial and cultural conflicts.
AT THE MOMENT, THERE ARE FEW POTENTIAL SUCCESSORS TO POPE FRANCIS.
The 70-year-old Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State and Francis’ number two since 2013, could be seen as Francis’ main successor.
Another Italian who could succeed him is 60-year-old Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa from Lombardy, who is the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.
If the College of Cardinals again chooses someone from outside Europe, one of the main candidates could be Cardinal Luis Tagle, 67, from the Philippines.
The Church could also make history if it elects its first African Pope in the modern era, Ghana’s Cardinal Peter Turkson, who was once considered the favourite at the 2013 conclave.
From the conservative wing, 76-year-old Cardinal Raymond Burke could be elected. However, another long-standing conservative candidate, Hungarian Cardinal Péter Erdő, seems to be a more likely candidate.
As usual, the road from here to the white smoke will be winding.
As well as setting Church doctrine and morals, the Pope wields considerable diplomatic and political power in world politics, mediating in global conflicts and leading humanitarian efforts
Most Popes serve until their death. Pope Benedict XVI, who resigned in 2013 at the age of 85 because of failing health, was the first pontiff in 600 years to step down.