Pope Francis has died, the Vatican announced on Monday (21).
The death of a pope triggers a series of rituals and procedures, many of which have remained unchanged for centuries. They were designed and refined to ensure secrecy and an orderly transition.
Several Vatican officials assume designated roles to certify the pope’s death, organize the wake and funeral, and begin the process of selecting a successor.
Below is a summary of what will happen during the interregnum period known as ‘sede vacante’, a Latin expression meaning that the seat is vacant.
Who takes command in the Vatican?
Immediately after a pope’s death is confirmed by the head of the Vatican’s health department and the body is dressed in a white cassock and taken to the pope’s private chapel, the Cardinal Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church becomes the de facto administrator of the Vatican for day-to-day affairs.
This position, known by the Italian title of camerlengo, is currently held by Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, a 77-year-old American of Irish origin, appointed by Francis in 2019.
After the ceremony, the camerlengo drafts a document authenticating the pope’s death, attaching the medical report. He secures the pontiff’s private documents and seals his quarters, which in Francis’s case are a large part of the second floor of the Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican City guesthouse used by visiting cardinals, where Francis lived during his 12 years of papacy.
He also arranges for the destruction of the so-called fisherman’s ring, used by the pope to seal documents, with a ceremonial hammer to prevent forgeries.
The camerlengo and other officials, together with members of the pope’s family, gather in the chapel for a ceremony. The body is placed in a wooden coffin lined with zinc. The pope is dressed in red, with his miter and pallium placed beside him.
What is the pope’s funeral like?
The College of Cardinals decides the day and time when the pope’s body will be taken to St. Peter’s Basilica, in a procession led by the camerlengo. The Vatican said this could happen as early as Wednesday morning.
Rewriting the funeral rites in 2024, Francis simplified several elements. He eliminated the wake in the Apostolic Palace, as well as the elevated pedestal in the basilica.
The funeral rites in various Rome churches last nine days, with the pope being buried four to six days after his death.
The coffin is closed the night before the funeral. The pope’s face is covered with a white silk veil and he is buried with a bag containing coins minted during his papacy and a vessel containing a “rogito”, or writ, briefly listing details of his life and papacy. The rogito is read aloud before the coffin is closed.
Francis requested to be buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, a church dear to him that he frequently visited to pray before an icon of the Virgin Mary.
Source: The New York Times