Pope Francis, who is battling double pneumonia in critical condition, spent a “good” night in hospital, sleeping and resting, the Vatican said on Monday, the 24th of February, but the world is on edge as it awaits breaking news – the Pope’s death, writes Politico.
Pope Francis, who lost part of a lung to a respiratory infection in his youth and has been plagued by ill health recently, last year approved a simplified funeral for himself, abandoning some of the prehistoric rituals and ceremonies that take place when a pope passes away.
But his death, whenever it comes, will nevertheless immediately set in motion a strictly elaborate series of events that have been 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 Camerlengo, or the highest official of the Vatican. This post is currently held by Irish-born Cardinal Kevin Farrell.
If the tradition holds, it will be Farrell who will visit Pope Francis’ body in his private chapel and call his name to wake him. Nowadays, this is mostly a ceremonial event, as the doctors will have confirmed the pontiff’s death.
The pope’s signet ring will then be destroyed to mark the end of his reign and the papal apartments will be closed. The College of Cardinals will be informed by Camerlengo, and only then will the Pope’s death be officially announced to the world.
Period of mourning
After the Pope’s death, there will be a nine-day period of mourning, known as the Novendiale, which was originally a tradition in ancient Rome. Italy also usually declares a period of national mourning.
His body, blessed and dressed in papal vestments, will be 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 at Francis’ simplified funeral he will be laid to rest in an open coffin without so much pomp and pageantry.
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”, in which the College of Cardinals temporarily governs the country until a new Pope is elected.
Burial
The Pope’s funeral is likely to take place in St Peter’s Square four to six days after his death, with mourners gathering at the Vatican for the service. Giovanni Battista Re, the 91-year-old Italian dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside.
Traditionally, popes are buried in the Vatican Grottoes, the crypts beneath St Peter’s Basilica, but Pope Francis said in an interview in 2023 that he chose to be buried in St Mary Maggiore Basilica in Rome, one of his favourite churches, making him the first pope in a century to be buried outside the Vatican.
He will 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 “Papable”.
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 there. 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 a 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 dressed in a white robe, steps out onto the balcony to make his first address. And with that, the Catholic world has a new leader.
As well as setting Church teaching 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.
Pope Francis in critical condition in hospital: what happens when the Pope dies?
