The Death of a Pope

We awoke to the news of the passing of Pope Francis on Monday, April 21, 2025. After the first moments of shock and sadness, we all raised our prayers for his soul. But then, as usual, the questions began:

• When will the funeral be held?
• What types of rituals follow the death of a Pope?
• How do they select a new Pope?
• How long does all this take?

So many questions....

We find ourselves carefully watching the news, consuming all that we can about what comes next. It is a lot to take in and it has special significance for the 1.4 billion Catholics in the world.

FUNERAL - Pope Francis' funeral was be held at 10:00 a.m. local time (3 a.m. CT) on Saturday, April 26. More than 200,000 people are believed to have attended. The funeral began nine days of mourning, prayers and remembrance. The funeral took place in St. Peter's Square, the large plaza in front of the basilica in Vatican City. A procession then transported Pope Francis to his burial site in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major (per Pope Francis' wishes). Major TV stations carried the funeral live.

ELECTING the NEXT POPE - The College of Cardinals has begun the papal conclave today - May 7, 2025 - to elect the new pope. The voters consist of cardinals from all over the world who are less than 80 years old. Meaning, of the 252 cardinals, 135 are eligible to be electors; 133 of those eligible will be attending the conclave. The USCCB offers an explanation of this process.

PRAYER - All of the faithful are called to pray for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis. The USCCB has offered a novena to support us in this prayer. 

We are also called to pray for the College of Cardinals before and during the conclave. May the leaders of our Church remain ever open and responsive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Here at St. Emily, we also have prepared the names of all the 133 Cardinal Electors on individual slips of paper so that our parishioners can draw a name or two to pray more intentionally for ​the Cardinals who are in conclave for the election of the pope.

No doubt, you have more questions than have been answered here. America Magazine offers a very comprehensive listing of questions with easily understood answers. These include:

When a pope dies or resigns:

• What happens if the pope dies before a consistory?
• What happens when the pope gets seriously sick?
• Can a pope resign?
• What happens if a pope goes into a coma?
• What would happen in a pope became mentally disabled or suffered from Alzheimer's?
• What could the church do is the Apostolic See becomes impeded?

During the Interregnum:

• What happens when a pope dies or resigns?
• How does the church deal with an ex-pope? What are his powers? What is he called?
• When is the pope's funeral?
• Who governs the church between the pope's death/resignation and the election of a new pope?
• What happens in the General Congregation meetings leading up to a conclave?
• Is there campaigning prior to the conclave?

The Conclave:

• What so the cardinals look for in a candidate to be pope?
• When and where is the conclave held?
• Where does the word "conclave" come from?
• Who is permitted in the conclave?
• Who are the cardinal electors?
• How has Francis changed the makeup of the college of cardinals?
• Has the pope always been elected by the cardinals?
• What happens on the first day of the conclave?
• How does the balloting take place?
• How long can the conclave last?
• What happens after the first day?
• When should we look for smoke?
• Who can be elected?
• How accurate was the move "Conclave" in describing the process?
• Who might be elected?
• What are some important factors?
• What are the chances of an American being elected?
• Who would you bet on to be the next pope?
• What issues will be discussed in the conclave?
• What happens after the election?