At 7:35 on the morning of April 21, world leader Pope Francis tragically died of both a stroke and heart failure. Since then, the Catholic Church has begun the lengthy process of mourning and selecting a new pope.
According to CNN, “Cuba has declared a state of mourning from [April 22] to [April 24] at noon, during which the national flag will be flown at half-staff…and Argentina, Francis’ home country, declared seven days of mourning” (Harvey, Fajardo, and Giron, Apr 21). Venezuela, Panama, and Costa Rica are few additional countries that have also announced a national period of mourning to honor the late pope.
ABC News began to describe the traditional procedure for selecting a new pope by explaining the sede vacante, a period of time where the cardinal camerlengo, or chamberlain, must run the ordinary affairs. They wrote, “This includes the pope’s funeral, which per tradition is held within four to six days of his death, after his body lies in state for several days in St. Peter’s Basilica” (Natanson and Watson, Apr 21). While his body lay in state, “The Vatican said some 48,600 people filed past Francis’ coffin from 11 a.m. Wednesday, when public tributes began, through 8:30 a.m. Thursday” one CBS article reported. And, those numbers continued to grow as visitation was open until 7pm on Friday, April 25. This was to allow time to prepare for the funeral which was scheduled for the following Saturday.
The funeral, as expected, came with some conflict. For example, there was discussion prior to the funeral that the U.S. President, Donald Trump, may be seated near the back due to Pope Francis having been critical of some of his policies. But, according to writer Jane Dalton at The Independent, “President Donald Trump had a prominent seat, rather than being placed in the third row as some had expected” (Dalton, Apr 26). This was because, “the seating was dictated by the French alphabet, still regarded as the language of diplomacy”(Dalton, Apr 26).
Additionally, another article by Jane Dalton on the Independent reported that “The dress code for the funeral… required men to wear a dark suit with a black tie and a black button on the left lapel” (Dalton, Apr 26). That being said, there are two people being accused of breaking the dress code: “Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky did not wear a formal suit, instead showing up in the black military attire he has worn consistently since the Russian invasion” and “Trump eschewed official requests, instead wearing a medium-blue suit and matching tie” (Dalton, Apr 26).
Looking to the future, ABC News says that for voting:
“…all cardinals under the age of 80 who are eligible to participate are summoned to Rome to prepare for the secret conclave inside the Sistine Chapel to choose the next pontiff, a gathering that typically commences between 15 to 20 days after the pope’s death. The cardinals spend the interregnum housed in private rooms in the Domus Marthae Sanctae — essentially a residence hotel in the Vatican with dining facilities that usually houses visiting clergy and laity. Per tradition, the cardinals are cut off from the outside world, including televisions, phones, computers and newspapers” (Natanson and Watson, Apr 21).
After coming to an agreement where two-third or more have voted for the same nominee, the ballots are burned and the color of the smoke will be the deciding factor. Black smoke indicates an inconclusive vote while white means a new pope has been chosen (Natanson and Watson, Apr 21). The last step is, “the candidate is formally asked in the Sistine Chapel if he accepts the election and, if so, to choose his papal name” (Natanson and Watson, Apr 21).
As Robledo and Bacon wrote in an USA Today article, voting is scheduled for May 7, 2025.
