What happens after a Pope dies?
01 Apr 2005 14:13:12 GMT
Source: Reuters(excerpt)
VATICAN CITY, April 1 (Reuters) - With Pope John Paul gravely ill, the Roman Catholic Church is preparing for the elaborate rituals that mark the end of one papacy and the start of the next.
Here is a guide to what is due to happen when the Pope dies:
** Once a pope dies, his camerlengo (chamberlain) officially confirms his death, seals his private apartment and prepares the funeral and the conclave to elect a successor.
** The camerlengo and three elected cardinal assistants decide when the pope's body is to be taken into St. Peter's Basilica for public viewing. They also make sure the Pope's "Fisherman's Ring" and his lead seal are broken so they cannot be used by anyone else. No autopsy is performed.
** Funeral rites last 9 days, with the date of the funeral and burial to be decided by the cardinals between the fourth and sixth day after his death. Popes are laid to rest in the crypt underneath St. Peter's Basilica. They are traditionally buried in a casket of cypress wood which is sealed inside a larger lead casket and then covered with an outer pine box.
** The conclave to elect a new pope starts in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel between 15 and 20 days after the death. The cardinals, who are confined to the Vatican for the duration of the conclave, decide the exact day. For the first time, they will not live in the Chapel or nearby rooms in the Vatican Museum, but in a new residence on Vatican grounds.
** 120 cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote. They need a majority of at least two-thirds plus one to elect him.
** The world will know a pope has been elected when an official burns the paper ballots with special chemicals to make white smoke pour out of the Chapel's chimney. They use other chemicals to make black smoke indicating an inconclusive vote.........