Vatican's Next Steps After Pope Francis' Passing

April 28, 2025 | 02:14 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - After Pope Francis' passing, Cardinal Kevin Farrell is temporarily holding the papal throne as the head of the College of Cardinals. However, after Pope Francis' burial, the leadership of the Catholic religious community enters a state of vacancy or Sede Vacante, or an interregnum.

The Camerlengo with the College of Cardinals will regulate administrative affairs in this period. This administration management is marked by the destruction of the Fisherman's Ring and the lead seal, which are symbols of papal authority as described on the Vatican News page.

Later, after the burial, the Catholic church and the Vatican will enter the novemdiales period. This is a 9-day period that signifies mourning for the death of this religious leader, accompanied by daily masses and prayers.

Subsequently, a mass will be held daily, led by a different cardinal. These masses and prayers will consist of prayers for the eternal salvation of the Pope's soul and a request for the guidance of the Holy Spirit to provide a suitable new leader.

These prayers and masses also serve as a means for the church to unite its people. This tradition intends the faithful to always reflect and surrender to God. Therefore, the reflection of the faithful will also cause all Vatican agendas to be postponed, including the approval of documents and political meetings.

In addition to holding masses to show mourning, the Vatican will also prepare for the Conclave, an event for the election of a new pope. Later, all cardinals under 80 will be required to come to Rome. This preparation is expected to take 15 to 20 days after the Pope's passing.

They will all undergo spiritual quarantine, carrying out the obligation of intensive prayer to receive inspiration from the Holy Spirit until the day of the vote. The Vatican will seal the Sistine Chapel for the election.

This sealing is not just a spiritual blessing, but also a technological and physical sealing intended to prevent communication between the candidate for the new pope and the outside world. Following the oath taken by each cardinal before entering the Sistine Chapel. Through this oath, they promise to maintain absolute secrecy regarding everything related to the election of the Roman Pope and to refrain from supporting any external interference in the election.

All Cardinals will vote for the candidate, and he will be declared the winner if he receives two-thirds of the votes. The conclave takes 2-5 days and must be free from all political and media pressure.

If the vote results are announced and meet the criteria, the Vatican will be signaling white smoke from the chapel chimney, indicating "Habemus Papam," a pope has been elected. If they do not obtain two-thirds of the vote, then black smoke will be emitted, and another vote will be conducted.

Subsequently, the new pope will swear an oath of allegiance as the leader of the Catholic community. If elected, he must commit to faithfully fulfilling the Munus Petrinum as the Priest of the Universal Church.

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