Catholic Pontiff, Pope Francis, has died aged 88.He died on Monday at 7:35 am, a day after making a much-hoped-for appearance at Saint Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday, the Vatican said in a statement.
“Dearest brothers and sisters, it is with deep sorrow that I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,”
Cardinal Kevin Farrell said in the statement published by the Vatican on its Telegram channel.”
“This morning at 7:35 am (0535 GMT) the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father.”
His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His church.”
Francis’s death came just a day after he delighted the crowds of worshippers at the Vatican on Easter Sunday with an appearance on the balcony at Saint Peter’s Basilica despite still convalescing after a severe illness.
He had come close to dying twice earlier this year while suffering from pneumonia.
He spent 38 days in hospital before he was released on March 23.
On Sunday, he wished the crowds on Saint Peter’s Square a “Happy Easter” as he waved and in his traditional “Urbi et Orbi” (“To the City and the World”) benediction, he called for freedom of thought and tolerance.
As Cardinal Bergoglio from Argentina he was already in his seventies when he became Pope in 2013.
His papacy paved the way for many firsts, and while he never stopped introducing reforms to the Catholic Church, he remained popular among traditionalists.
He was the first Pope from the Americas and the first non-European in centuries; not since Syrian-born Gregory III died in 741 had there been a non-European Bishop of Rome.
His predecessor, Benedict XVI, was the first Pope to retire voluntarily in almost 600 years, and for almost 10 years, the Vatican Gardens hosted two popes.
He was also the first Jesuit to be elected to the throne of St Peter.
What Happens After The Pope Dies?
The death of Pope Francis on Monday sets in motion centuries-old traditions which will culminate in the election by cardinals of a new pontiff.
The death of Pope Francis on Monday sets in motion centuries-old traditions which will culminate in the election by cardinals of a new pontiff — but with a few changes.
Here is how the process unfolds:
Sede Vacante
The Catholic Church enters a period known as “Sede Vacante” (Vacant See) during which a senior cardinal takes over day-to-day affairs until a new pope is elected.
The cardinal, referred to as the “camerlengo” (“chamberlain”), in this case will be Irish-American Kevin Farrell, appointed to the role by Francis in February 2019.
He is the only top official in the Church hierarchy to remain in post, with all others required to resign following the death of the pope.
Traditionally, his main role has been to certify the death, once done by tapping the pontiff’s forehead three times with a special silver hammer and calling out his birth name.
The camerlengo is also charged with destroying the “Fisherman’s Ring”, a gold signet ring specially cast for each new pope which once was used to seal documents.
Originally its destruction was to prevent forgery but today the act — in the presence of the cardinals at their first gathering of the Sede Vacante — simply symbolises the end of a papacy.
Simpler funeral
Cardinals from around the world will hold a series of meetings known as “general congregations”.
They will decide on a date for the burial, which must take place between the fourth and sixth days after death, and on the organisation of the “novemdiales”, the nine days of mourning.
Francis’s immediate predecessors were buried in St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, but he asked to be buried in the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.
His body will be placed inside a single coffin of wood and zinc — again breaking with tradition, with previous popes interred in three coffins in cypress, lead and elm, placed one inside the other.
The change in funeral rituals was better reflect what Francis sees as the role of the pope as “a pastor and disciple of Christ, and not of a powerful man of this world”, a top official said.
Francis’s open coffin will be laid out for veneration by the faithful in St Peter’s Basilica, putting an end to the display of papal bodies on a raised platform, propped up by cushions as per tradition.
The conclave
The general congregations are also a good way of vetting “papabili” — potential successors to Francis.
The congregations will set the date for a conclave to begin no less than 15 and no more than 20 days after the death of the pope.
Under a system originating in the 13th century, the conclave sees cardinals aged under 80 meet in private to choose the next pope from among their peers.
Currently there are 135 so-called “cardinal electors”, 108 of whom were appointed by Francis.
Of these 53 are from Europe, 20 are from North America, 18 are from Africa, 23 from Asia, four from Oceania and 17 from South America.
Conclave literally means “with a key”, reflecting the fact the cardinals must stay until a new pope is found.
Since the late 19th century, all conclaves have been held in the Sistine Chapel, a Renaissance jewel adorned with Michelangelo’s celebrated frescoes.
The cardinals are sworn to absolute secrecy, under pain of ex-communication, during the voting.
Two ballots are held in the morning and two in the afternoon each day, until one candidate wins two-thirds of the votes.
At the end of each session, the ballots are burned in a stove by the chapel, releasing smoke above the Apostolic Palace.
The smoke is black after each unsuccessful ballot, and white once the vote succeeds.
The bells of St Peter’s will peal to accompany the white smoke.
Habemus papam!
Once elected, the new pope will be led into a tiny sacristy by the Sistine Chapel known as the “sala delle lacrime”, or Room of Tears, where he can ponder his future.
The dean of the College of Cardinals, currently Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, will ask the newly chosen pontiff if he accepts his election and what name he would like to use, and he immediately becomes the bishop of Rome and pope.
The new pope is helped into his vestments (three sets are prepared, of different sizes), and one by one the cardinals pay homage to him.
Shortly afterwards he appears on the loggia of St Peter’s Basilica. The senior cardinal deacon, currently Renato Raffaele Martino, will then pronounce the famous phrase in Latin: “Habemus Papam!” (We have a pope!).
AFP
