The death of Pope Francis:
Pope Francis died on Easter Monday morning, April 21, 2025 at 7:35 a.m., following a period of convalescence after a severe respiratory infection.
His death was announced live from the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta by Cardinal Kevin Farrell at approximately 9:53 a.m. Rome time, which marked the end of his 12-year pontificate. The Director of the Directorate of Health and Hygiene of the Vatican City State, Dr. Andrea Arcangeli, released the official medical report on the death of Pope Francis, stating “The cause of Pope Francis’ death has been identified as a stroke, followed by a coma and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse“.
The Holy See Press Office announced that the rite of ascertainment of death and placement of the late Pope Francis’ body in the coffin took place on Monday at 8:00 PM Rome time. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, presided over the rite in the Chapel of the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta. Normally according with Church tradition, the body of Pope Francis would have been placed in three coffins, one inside the other. In this case, as has been the case so often with Pope Francis, he broke tradition by asking that his body be places in a single casket lined with Zinc.
In the announcement, the Press Office indicated that those present included the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, and family members of the late Pope Francis, along with Dr. Andrea Arcangeli and Dr. Luigi Carbone, the Director and Deputy Director of the Directorate of Health and Hygiene, respectively.
The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, told journalists that the Pope’s body could be transferred to Saint Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday morning, so that the faithful may pray before his mortal remains.
“The translation of the Holy Father’s mortal remains to the Vatican Basilica, for the veneration of all the faithful, may take place on the morning of Wednesday, April 23, 2025, according to the arrangements that shall be determined and communicated tomorrow, following the first Congregation of the Cardinals,” Mr. Bruni said.
The Catholic Church during the Interregnum:
The term interregnum comes from Latin, from inter- ‘between’ + regnum ‘reign’. and denotes temporary rule between reigns or during suspension of normal government,
The death of Pope Francis sets into motion a series of formalized rites and observances that occur during the interregnum, which begins upon the pontiff’s passing and ends with the election of his successor. The period of time during which the papacy is vacant is known as the sede vacante, Latin for “vacant seat.”
The pope’s death is first ritually verified by the cardinal camerlengo, or chamberlain, who who runs the ordinary affairs of the Vatican city-state during the sede vacante.
In this case, as mentioned above, the cardinal camerlengo is Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, who was Bishop of Dallas, Texas from 2007 to 2016 and has recently occupied several posts in the Vatican.
A traditional nine days of mourning now commences:
The body of Pope Francis will lie in state at Saint Peter’s Basilica for several days.
This allows global dignitaries and heads of state to pay their respects and allow for travel time for the Cardinal-Electors from various countries to get to Rome and attend the funeral.
Upon burial, the Pope’s body has traditionally been placed in three coffins, each one inside the other. In the case of Pope Francis, he has chosen to be buried in simple wooden casket lined with zinc rather than the three nested coffins.
The Funeral of Pope Francis:
The Pope’s funeral, which per tradition is held within four to six days of his death, will be on Saturday April 26, 2025 at 10:00 AM in Saint Peter’s Square.,
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside at the Mass, which will be con-celebrated by Patriarchs, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, and priests from across the globe.
The late Pope’s body will then be taken to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major for entombment.
The Conclave to elect a new Pope:
During the interregnum, 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.
The word “conclave” is a Latin noun dating back to ancient Rome meaning a locked room, typically used to store valuables or imprison someone. Here is what to expect in the Conclave:
As of April 21, 2025, there are 252 cardinals, of whom 135 are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. One Cardinal-Elector, Antonio Cardinal Cañizares Llovera (Spain), seen as arch-conservative has said that, due to health concerns, he will not take part in the upcoming conclave, bringing the number of Cardinal-Electors down to 134.
Another arch-conservative, Vinko Cardinal Puljić (Bosnia & Herzegovina) was erroneously reported as not taking part, but has since confirmed that he will take part in the Conclave.
The conclave typically commences between 15 to 20 days after the pope’s death, which means that the earliest date would likely be May 6. The Cardinals spend the Conclave 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, which certainly fits in with the definition of “Conclave”.
Papal conclaves, as a legally mandated process, officially began in 1274 in Viterbo, Italy with Pope Gregory X’s bull Ubi periculum. Prior to this, while papal elections had been held under similar circumstances, this was the first time such a formal requirement was introduced.
Historically most conclaves last a few days, although the longest in history started in 1268 lasted two years and nine months. After several rule changes to speed up the process over time, the average length of a conclave since the beginning of the 20th century has been three day
The Conclave to elect Pope Francis was one of the shortest conclaves in history, lasting just over 24 hours.
The Conclave process explained:
To begin with, a special morning Mass will be held in Saint Peter’s Basilica, after which the cardinal electors will gather inside the Sistine Chapel, which has overseen all papal conclaves since 1858. The conclave will officially begin when the words “extra omnes” (Latin for “everybody out”) are said by the master of the papal liturgical celebrations. This expels everyone but voting cardinals from the Sistine Chapel.
Voting begins as Cardinals vote the first time by writing on a piece of paper headed “Eligo in summen pontificem,” Latin for “I elect as supreme pontiff.” Ballots are then stuffed into an urn and counted.
Three cardinals delegated as scrutineers count the ballots, ensure everyone has voted, each make a count, and then burn the ballots. A two-thirds majority is required for a cardinal to be named the new pope.
After the first day, four ballots will be held each day.
Needless to say, there will be much speculation over the next few days as to who will be selected.
Anyone trying to handicap the outcome should remember that Jorge Mario Bergoglio was considered too old to be elected pope in 2013 at age 76, and that Karol Wojtyla wasn’t on any front-runner lists going into the 1978 conclave that elected him Pope John Paul II. And, of course, the oft-repeated expression: “He who goes in to a Conclave as Pope, comes out a Cardinal“. So, we’re not placing any bets!
For what it’s worth, 108 of the electors were appointed by Pope Francis, 22 by his predecessor Pope Benedict and five by Pope John Paul II.
Scheduled canonization of Carlo Acutis postponed:
Th Canonization of Carlo Acutis had been scheduled for April 27, 2025 and will now have to be postponed, since we have no Pope to proclaim him a saint.
The Holy See Press Office statement reads: “Following the death of Supreme Pontiff Francis, notice is hereby given that the Eucharistic celebration and Rite of Canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis, scheduled for April 27, 2025, II Sunday of Easter or Divine Mercy, on the occasion of the Jubilee of Adolescents, is suspended,”
Mass, without the canonization of Carlo Acutis, will be held in St. Peter’s Square on April 27. No word as to who will be the main celebrant.
This will no doubt disappoint those who have already made arrangements to travel to Rome for the Canonization and are unable to change their plans.
Well, perhaps if they go ahead with their plans to travel to Rome, they might be in Saint Peter’s square and get to hear “Habemus Papam”:…Latin for we have a Pope! That would be quite a treat to be there for a first glimpse of whoever is chosen.
The Jubilee of Teenagers will continue as planned (with a few exceptions):
The first-ever Jubilee of Teenagers figured as one of the most anticipated events of 2025 and is especially dedicated to young people, who will have a unique experience of “faith, spiritual growth, and intercultural exchange.”More than 80,000 teenagers are expected to gather in Rome for the Vatican’s Jubilee of Teenagers (April 25-27), According to the Dicastery for Evangelization, with young people registered from the United States, Brazil, India, Spain, Portugal, France, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Germany, Chile, Venezuela, Mexico, Australia, Argentina, and Nigeria.
Due to the death of Pope Francis, the following changes will be made to the Jubilee of Teenagers:
Due to the time of mourning, the musical celebration at Circus Maximus scheduled for April 26 at 5 p.m. has also been canceled.
The official program includes several highlights, beginning with the Via Lucis (Way of Light), an act of piety in which the apparitions of the risen Christ are meditated upon, which will take place on April 25 in the EUR neighborhood (now called Europa), just outside Rome.
Saturday, April 26, the pilgrimages to the Holy Door will continue to be on the schedule.
The swearing-in of new members of the Swiss Guard, normally held on May 6, has been cancelled and will be held sometime in the fall.
If you were able to watch the funeral Mass for Pope Francis, you were probably struck by the white-gloved men in dark suits who were pallbearers and carried his coffin.
