CNA Explains: What happens when a pope dies?

SINGAPORE: Pope Francis, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church and the head of the Vatican state, died at the age of 88 after recently surviving a serious bout of double pneumonia.

The Argentine pontiff had been recovering after five weeks in hospital, and was last seen publicly at mass on Sunday (Apr 20).

Who is the pope, and why is he significant?

The pope basically oversees all the Catholics in the world – that’s more than a billion people.

He heads the Holy See, the central governing body of both Church and the Vatican City State, a country in itself.

Within the 2,000-year-old Catholic Church, the pope sits at the top of a management structure of clergy – men who dedicate their lives to religious duties.

a) Pope – the only one wearing a white skull cap

b) Cardinals – they wear red skull caps, and assist the pope in various areas. They are often organised into councils or committees

c) Bishops and archbishops – they wear purple skull caps. Some larger jurisdictions have multiple bishops who report to a single archbishop; some countries like Singapore only have one bishop – who is also the archbishop. Bishops and archbishops oversee the Catholic communities in the states or countries they live in.

d) Priests – they don’t wear skull caps. They are based in individual churches and minister or tend to one or more of these churches, as well as the people who attend masses or serve at them.

These terms will come in handy in a bit.

What happens after a pope dies? 

These days, doctors declare a pope dead, just like with any other person. But by tradition, a senior Vatican official called the camerlengo ceremonially confirms his passing.

The camerlengo typically does this by visiting the pope’s body in his private chapel, and calling out his name to rouse him. When the pontiff – another name for the pope – does not respond, a ring he wears that acts as the seal for official papal documents is defaced or destroyed. This marks the end of his term of papacy.

The camerlengo then seals off the pope’s apartment, and informs the College of Cardinals – the body of senior church officials – that he has died. 

Then, the Vatican issues a statement to the world’s media.

What follows is a nine-day mourning period called the novendiale, a custom with its origins in ancient Rome.

The pope’s body is blessed, dressed in papal clothes, and put in Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican for public viewing.

Traditionally it would be displayed on a raised platform, but Pope Francis – born Jorge Mario Bergoglio – has requested to lie in an open coffin. 

Daily prayer services and masses will be held at the basilica and throughout the Catholic world.

The funeral takes place, most likely in St Peter’s Square in front of the basilica, between four and six days after the pope’s death. 

According to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters, his body will be buried in the Santa Maria Maggiore basilica in Rome. It’s one of Francis’ favourite churches, and it’ll make him the first pope in a century to be buried outside the Vatican.

Close to a hundred of his predecessors are buried in the Vatican Grottoes, crypts beneath St Peter’s Basilica.

Previous popes were laid in three-layered coffins made of cypress, lead and oak. Pope Francis’ will be a single-layered one made of wood and zinc.

Popes are also buried dressed in blood-red vestments or robes, a reminder of shedding one’s blood, or laying down one’s life, for the faith and the faithful.

What’s the impact on Catholics, including in this part of the world?

The death of a pope is significant to Catholics for several spiritual reasons, according to Singaporean lay theologian Dominic Nalpon, a non-ordained scholar of religion.

It serves as a reminder of human frailty and mortality, and of the end that awaits all; an opportunity to pray for the dead and to mourn their passing; and a reminder of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the resurrection of all that awaits at the end of time.

“While most Catholics in Singapore do not have a personal relationship with any sitting pope, there is certainly a spiritual bond for all and emotional bond for many to the pope and especially to Pope Francis, both because of his recent visit and his general personality and teachings,” said the academic at the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas in Rome.

He said Pope Francis has made Catholics in Asia “feel seen”, for instance with him choosing South Korea as 2027 host for World Youth Day – a global gathering of Catholic youngsters where the pope travels to meet them specially.

“Catholics in Asia have been largely encouraged by this papacy with the recognition that Asia is no longer merely mission territory as it once was, but very much a thriving part of the Church.”

What happens in the period where there’s no pope?

When a pope dies, the Vatican enters a period called sede vacante. That’s Latin for “the seat is vacant”. 

The camerlengo takes over administrative and day-to-day affairs, and the College of Cardinals runs the Church during this time. But no major decisions can be made until a new pope is elected.

How long this period lasts depends on how long it takes to elect a new pope, in a process called the conclave. This was recently popularised in a 2024 film of the same name, and also featured in the Da Vinci Code book and film series. 

The longest-ever recorded conclave was in 1268, when it took almost three years to elect Pope Gregory X, according to Catholic news network EWTN Vatican.

The shortest, in 1503, lasted just a few hours, leading to the election of Pope Julius II.

How is a new pope elected?

The new pontiff is typically chosen from among the cardinals. 

Cardinals from all over the world travel to the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel and are locked inside to vote for the next pope. 

Those above 80 years old cannot vote.

According to EWTN Vatican, the cardinals must meet between 15 and 20 days after the death or resignation of the Holy Father – again, another name for the pope. 

They vote on paper ballots, which are read aloud, pierced and placed on a thread. 

If a single name receives two-thirds of the vote, the ballots are burned in a stove set up in the Sistine Chapel, with a chemical that produces a white smoke. This signals to Rome – and the world – that a pope has been elected. 

If two successive votes fail to elect a pope, the ballots for both votes are burned with wet straw, producing black smoke and signalling a deadlock.

The cardinals can vote up to four times in a day, according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

When a cardinal receives the two-third majority vote, he is asked if he accepts his election.

If he does, he picks a new name as Pope, and is dressed in papal vestments – here, it’s a long white cassock, paired with a white skull cap.

He is then announced and revealed on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica.

Pope 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 strong pushback from traditionalists.

This particular conclave stands out because it will see the highest number of new cardinals expected to attend in history, said Mr Nalpon, the theologian.

And there will be a record number of cardinals from Asia: 36, of which 23 are under the age of 80. Of these, nine are from Southeast Asia – including Singapore’s first-ever cardinal William Goh.

But the chances of an Asian pope remain slim, Mr Nalpon told CNA.

“(Cardinals) not actively working or involved in the administration of the Holy See have not had much opportunity to get to know each other,” he said, adding that the Asian cardinals haven’t had much experience serving in the Church’s governing body.

The exception is Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines, who’s probably considered to be the most papabile (meaning those viewed as “able to be pope”) among those from Asia. 

Still, as Nalpon noted, the vast majority of papabiles remain European.

Additional reporting by Johannes Tjendro