What happens after a pope dies? How does the Catholic Church choose a successor?
Pope Francis, the Argentinian pontiff who led the Roman Catholic Church for nearly 12 years, died on Monday.
Pope Francis, the Argentinian pontiff who led the Roman Catholic Church for nearly 12 years, died on Monday. He was 88.
"Dear brothers and sisters, it is with profound sadness I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis," Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced on the Vatican's TV channel on Monday. "At 7:35 this morning the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father." Follow live updates.
Last month, the pope was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on February 14 after a weeklong bout of bronchitis worsened. He spent 38 days in the hospital, the longest hospitalisation of his 12-year papacy.
The Catholic Church will now begin the process of electing a new leader. The election of a pope follows a centuries-old tradition and is guided by strict rules and holds deep religious significance.
How is a new pope elected?
The College of Cardinals, the Church's most senior officials worldwide, chooses the pope. Following a pope’s death or resignation, the cardinals are summoned to the Vatican for the papal election or conclave.
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The conclave usually starts 15 to 20 days after the pope’s death to allow time for mourning and for all cardinals to arrive in Rome. As per the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the cardinals are brought together at the historic Sistine Chapel at the Vatican for the papal election.
The election is held under strict secrecy. The cardinals are sworn to secrecy and cut off from the outside world during the voting process.
They vote and sleep within closed-off areas and are not allowed to have any contact with the world outside, except in cases of a medical emergency. All access to mobile phones, radios, television and newspapers is prohibited. According to the BBC, the housekeeping and security staff are also sworn to observe perpetual secrecy.
The voting process
The voting is done by secret ballot. The cardinals write the name of their chosen candidate below "Eligo in Summun Pontificem" (Latin for "I elect as supreme pontiff"), according to CNN.
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After the cardinals cast their votes, the papers are mixed and counted. A candidate must receive a two-thirds majority of votes to be elected.
After each vote, the ballots are burned. If no candidate secures enough votes, black smoke rises from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney, signalling to the outside world that voting will continue.
When a pope is chosen, the chief Cardinal ask whether the candidate accepts to be the pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. If the answer is yes, the candidate is asked to pick a papal name and is dressed in papal vests before heading out to the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.
The ballots from the final round are burned with chemicals that produce white smoke, signalling to the world that a new pope has been elected.
The senior cardinal deacon also steps out onto the balcony of St. Peter's and announces, “Habemus Papam,” which means "We have a pope.”
