The death of the Pope: the role of the camerlengo and the succession process

When a pope dies (or resigns) the figure of the camerlengo enters the scene. Kevin Farrell, the cardinal in charge of administering the Holy See's finances and presiding over the succession, ascertains the pope's death before the master of liturgical celebrations and the secretary and chancellor of the Apostolic Chamber. It is the camerlengo who seals the pontiff's rooms, while the vicar of Rome announces the news to the world, which in this case was first via Telegram to accredited journalists. This is followed by the destruction of the Fisherman's Ring, which every pope receives during the solemn mass at the beginning of his pontificate and wears on his right ring finger, and the lead seal with which he officialises apostolic letters.

The Pope's body will undergo tanatopraxis, a treatment involving an injection of a preservative fluid into the arterial system and a series of cosmetic treatments to preserve the deceased's appearance and tissues for a fortnight or so. Transported to the Sistine Chapel, accompanied by a long procession of cardinals and high prelates, the Pope's body will in fact be exposed to the faithful for three days, dressed in the pontifical vestments (the white mitre, the red chasuble, the white wool pallium with black crosses), while for nine consecutive days starting from the funeral mass, the cardinals will celebrate the Novendiali (from "novem dies", in fact), that is, masses in suffrage of the soul of the deceased Pontiff. Following the changes made by Paul VI, the 'visible' exposure of the body is limited to the funeral chamber (first set up in the Apostolic Palace, then in St Peter's Basilica), after which the body is placed in the coffin before the funeral.

The papal funeral (the Missa poenitentialis) . convened by the Cardinal Dean, who celebrates it - Giovanni Batrista Re - however, normally takes place three days after the death and includes a celebration on the Bernini altar at St Peter's (although the last funerals were held outdoors, in front of the Basilica), in the presence of state delegations from all over the world. "The ritual was too overloaded", Bergoglio had explained in the book-interview El Sucesor, by journalist Javer Martinez BrocalI, and in fact it was simplified: the changes are contained in the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis, published on 4 November 2024. While Popes were usually buried in three different coffins (in cypress, lead and oak), with Francis only a wooden coffin will be used, galvanised on the outside. The body will not be displayed on a catafalque, but inside the open coffin. A new practice has also been introduced: the ritual to be followed if burial is requested in a place other than the Vatican Basilica.

After the ceremony, the deceased Pope's face is covered with a silk veil before the coffin is sealed and buried in the Vatican Grottoes, under St Peter's Basilica, where the remains of St Peter, the first Pope and founder of the Church, are kept. However, the pope can leave arranged where he wants to be buried, but he must inform the Collegium Cardinalium in Congregatione Generale in good time. For example, Hadrian II, who died in Modena, is buried in Nonantola, Silvester II, in the Lateran Basilica in Rome, as is Leo XIII. Damasus II was buried outside the walls of Rome, in San Lorenzo, while the coffins of Victor II and Stephen IX are in Ravenna and Florence. It is possible that Bergoglio will be buried at Santa Maria Maggiore, a basilica to which he was very attached.

In the run-up to the Conclave, two weeks after the death, the cardinals will gather for the General Congregations, plenary meetings where the cardinals meet and get to know each other: at the moment there are 135 cardinal electors, so (if they are all present) the quorum will be very high, 90 votes (it had been 77 in the 2013 conclavce, out of 115 present). The conclave is being held in the Sistine Chapel, closed for the occasion from the inside and the outside. Everything that happens in there must remain secret: telephones, cameras, TV and radio are forbidden. Only for emergencies are doctors and nurses allowed in. After each day's voting, the ballots are burnt: if no one is elected, the ballots are burnt together with some wood shavings and the smoke is black. White smoke, on the other hand, announces the election of a new Pope.