What happens when a pope dies? In Graphics Today World News

An overview as Pope Francis presides over a mass for the jubilee of the armed forces in St. Peter‘s Square at The Vatican, Sunday Feb.9, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AP

The death of Pope Francis on Monday (April 21, 2025) sets in motion centuries-old traditions which will culminate in the election by cardinals of a new pontiff. This includes a nine-day mourning period, an elaborate burial, and the election of a new leader for the Catholic Church.

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At the end of the process, a Pope will be selected in a high-stakes election dramatised in the Oscar-nominated thriller “Conclave,” with progressive and conservative cardinals vying for control of an institution with a billion followers globally.

Here we explains what happens in the Vatican City, where the College of Cardinals gathers to elect a new pope.

Confirmation of Pope’s death

The Camerlengo (Cardinal Chamberlain) – currently Kevin Joseph Farrell, a 77-year-old American of Irish origin, – officially confirms Pope’s death, traditionally by tapping his head three times with small silver hammer and calling out his name.

He will become the Vatican’s de facto administrator till a new Pope is elected.

End of Pope Francis’ reign

When a pontiff dies, his signet ring – known as the fisherman’s ring – is smashed, signifying the end of his reign. Papal apartments are sealed off and Vatican announces death to world.

Mourning

Pope’s death triggers Novendiale – nine days of mourning. Italy will also declare national mourning. The Pope’s body will be dressed in papal vestments and brought to the Pope’s private chapel.

Pope Francis has asked not to be put on display atop catafalque in St. Peter’s Basilica, as customary. Instead, his body will be left inside casket, with lid off for visitors to pay their respects.

Meanwhile, the Vatican enters a transitional period called sede vacante (period between the death of a pope and the election of a new one), during which rule of church is temporarily handed over to College of Cardinals.

Burial

Funeral will be led by dean of College of Cardinals – currently Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re. Funeral of Pope usually takes place four to six days after his death and funeral rites in various churches in Rome will last nine days.

Traditionally, pope is buried in the Vatican Grottoes, beneath St. Peter’s Basilica. But Pope Francis wants to be buried at Rome’s Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica, making him first pontiff to be interred outside Vatican in more than a century.

Popes are entombed in three interlocking caskets, made of cypress, lead and oak. Francis wishes to be buried in a single, zinc-lined wooden coffin. The coffin is closed the night before the funeral.

The Conclave

Two to three weeks after Pope’s funeral, the College of Cardinals will convene in the Sistine Chapel to hold a secretive process of electing new pope.

When the cardinals meet, they gather in the Sistine Chapel. All cardinal electors must swear an oath of secrecy and vote by secret ballot. Camerlengo, who will preside over the ballot, will seal the Chapel. Only cardinals under age 80 are eligible to vote. They are not allowed to leave the conclave except in rare cases.

A two-thirds majority is needed to elect a new pope, and politicking is part of the process. After every vote, the ballot papers are burned in a stove, along with chemicals that produce a color, and the smoke is released through a chimney that can be seen from St. Peter’s Square. If no cardinal wins vote, ballots are burned to produce black smoke. The cardinals cast repeated votes until a two-thirds majority emerges. When a decision is reached, the smoke will be white.

Habemus Papam!

Once the Pope is chosen, the dean of the College of Cardinals asks the chosen successor if he accepts the role. After receiving an affirmative response, the dean then asks for the name he wishes to take as pope.

After he greets the Cardinals, he will move onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, from where a representative from College reads out Latin announcement: “Habemus papam” (We have a Pope). New Pope will step out to give first public address.

Sources: Vatican, Politico, Reuters, Graphic News