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The death of Pope Francis and its aftermath - Most Rev. Joseph Osei-Bonsu writes

Most Rev. Joseph Osei-Bonsu writes Opinion Apr - 24 - 2025 , 18:37 20 minutes read

Pope Francis died at 7:35 a.m. (Rome time) on Easter Monday, 21 April 2025 at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta. This was announced from Casa Santa Marta at 9:45 a.m. by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo (Chamberlain) of the Apostolic Chamber.

In earlier practice, the Camerlengo would call the pope’s baptismal name three times, and if there was no response, he would declare the pope dead. Today, this is more symbolic, with emphasis on reverent prayer rather than dramatics.

Nowadays, the pope’s death is formally ascertained through a specific process rooted in both tradition and updated ceremonial norms.

According to the revised 2024 liturgical document that governs the burial of a Roman Pontiff (Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis) approved by Pope Francis, doctors officially determine that the pope has died. This involves standard medical procedures to confirm the cessation of vital functions.

Following the medical confirmation, a formal ecclesial verification is conducted in a chapel rather than in the room of death (a change introduced in the 2024 revision) and the body is immediately placed inside the coffin. In the presence of key officials, the Camerlengo ensures that the death is verified, prayers are offered and the body is prepared for viewing and burial.

After the death is confirmed, the pope’s ring (the Fisherman’s Ring) is ceremonially broken to prevent its misuse. The Apostolic Constitution is followed to notify Church and civil authorities and the body is then moved for public veneration, beginning the novemdiales (nine days of mourning and prayer).

The Camerlengo is a high-ranking Vatican official with specific and important duties after the death of a pope and during the period when the papal throne is vacant (sede vacante). He supervises the preparations for the election of a new pope, including the conclave logistics in the Sistine Chapel. He has no authority over spiritual matters of the Church <\a> that remains with the College of Cardinals until a new pope is elected.

Since the announcement of the death of Pope Francis, his body lay in an open casket in a chapel at Casa Santa Marta and was transferred to St. Peter’s Basilica for public viewing on Wednesday, 23 April 2025. Pope Francis’ funeral is scheduled for Saturday, 26 April at 10:00 a.m. (Rome time) in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City, and will be led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the Dean of the College of Cardinals.

The Burial of a Pope

When a pope dies, usually his actual burial takes place between the fourth and sixth day after his death. The burial follows a funeral Mass, presided over by the Dean of the College of Cardinals. In terms of the burial itself, the church has traditionally performed what is termed as “The Ritual of Three Coffins”. When it is time for the actual burial, the pope’s dead body is placed in a cypress wood casket. That casket is then placed in a lead coffin, which is then placed in a pine coffin, so the pope actually gets buried in three coffins! Each of these coffins carries its own symbolism and significance:

1. The Cypress Coffin

The innermost, a cypress coffin, holds the pope’s body, with a white silk veil over his face. This is the one that is displayed during the funeral Mass in St. Peter’s Square. During the funeral Mass, the bishop who is in charge of the pope’s official proclamations reads a list of achievements of the pope, and then the parchment that lists these achievements is rolled into a Copper Tube. This list will be placed inside the casket during the burial that takes place after the Mass.

Into this coffin also are placed during the burial three bags of Vatican medals and coins minted during the pope’s reign: one is of silver coins, one of gold, and one of copper. The number of coins in each bag represents the number of years a pope served. The simple wooden coffin made of cypress signifies that the pope is an ordinary human being like everyone else, and is buried like a common man. It symbolizes the pope’s humility, simplicity ad mortality. After the funeral Mass, the cypress coffin with the body is taken back into St. Peter’s Basilica. The simple cypress wood coffin is sealed and wrapped with three silk ribbons before being placed inside two other caskets one lead and one elm before being taken to the 16th-Century crypt for burial near the resting place of St Peter.

2. The Lead Coffin

The lead coffin often bore engravings of the pope’s name, dates of his pontificate, and a skull and crossbones a symbol known as memento mori, reminding the faithful of the inevitability of death. The lead coffin is more durable and ensures the body and documents are protected over time. Important documents that the pope issued under his seal are placed in this coffin. The broken seal of office is placed inside the lead coffin by the Camerlengo prior to final closure. The lead coffin is sealed hermetically.

3. The Elm Coffin

Finally, the lead casket is placed in an elm coffin which is nailed and shut with golden nails. The elm coffin is used to signify the great dignity of the man being laid to his rest, since elm is the most precious of local woods available in Rome.
When each casket is closed, it is wrapped with two cords of violet silk and sealed in wax with the coat of arms of the chamberlain and the Cardinal Dean. Thanks to this ancient custom, many early documents of the Church have been conserved.

Changes Introduced by Pope Francis

In 2024, Pope Francis introduced significant changes to the papal funeral rites by approving a new edition of the liturgical book that governs the burial of a Roman Pontiff (Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis). These revisions reflect his longstanding commitment to simplicity, humility, and a more pastoral image of the papacy. These changes included eliminating the use of multiple coffins and, by extension, the traditional skull and crossbones engraving. Under the new rites, the pope is buried in a single wooden coffin lined with zinc, without the ornate symbols previously used. Therefore, the skull and crossbones are no longer used in papal funerals, marking a departure from centuries-old traditions in favour of a more modest approach. Other elements in the revised version include how the pope’s mortal remains are to be handled after death. The ascertainment of death takes place in the chapel, rather than in the room where he died, and his body is immediately placed inside the coffin. According to Archbishop Diego Ravelli, Master of Apostolic Ceremonies, the late Pope Francis had requested that the funeral rites be simplified and focused on expressing the faith of the Church in the Risen Body of Christ. According to him, “The renewed rite seeks to emphasise even more that the funeral of the Roman Pontiff is that of a pastor and disciple of Christ and not of a powerful person of this world”.

The body is not displayed on a public bier, reflecting greater privacy and humility. There is some flexibility about the burial location. Pope Francis chose burial outside St. Peter’s Basilica, breaking centuries of tradition. In a significant departure from tradition, Pope Francis will be buried at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the four major Basilicas in Rome, rather than in the Vatican’s St. Peter's Basilica. This choice reflects the pope’s deep devotion to the Virgin Mary and his commitment to humility. He requested a simple burial “in the ground, without particular decoration”, marked only with his papal name in Latin: Franciscus. Pope Francis’ decision to be interred at Santa Maria Maggiore makes him the first pope since Leo XIII in 1903 to be buried outside the Vatican. His final resting place will be a former candelabra storeroom within the basilica, underscoring his desire for modesty. Future popes may also choose simpler or alternative burial sites. The funeral Mass retains traditional elements (e.g., In Paradisum, Requiem aeternam), but with more emphasis on Scripture, humility, and pastoral presence. There are no elaborate regalia or royal symbolism; focus is on the pope as a servant of Christ. Fourth, there are some continued elements. The nine days of mourning or the novemdiales remains in place. Cardinals still gather for the conclave after the funeral. Items such as the rogito (a document summarizing the pope’s life) and papal coins are still buried with the body. These reforms reflect Pope Francis’ lifelong emphasis on poverty, simplicity, and pastoral closeness, and they set a precedent for future papal funerals to be more humble, personal, and spiritually focused.

Soon after a pope dies or resigns, the Dean of the College of Cardinals officially communicates the news to all Cardinals around the world. In the same letter, he also summons the Cardinals to the first of ten General Congregations of the College of Cardinals to be held in the Synod of Bishops Room in the Paul VI Hall. The General Congregations continue until all Cardinal electors arrive in Rome. Then the Cardinals decide on the date when the process of electing a new pope will begin. If this process is taking place after a Pope has died, the process begins after the burial of the Pope.

The Conclave

The process by which the new pope is elected is called the “Conclave”. The word “conclave” comes from the Latin phrase cum clavis, meaning “with a key”. The term is suitable since the Cardinals are locked inside the Sistine Chapel in the Apostolic Palace during the voting process. During the Conclave, the Cardinals stay inside the Vatican. This is usually at Casa Santa Marta. When the Conclave begins, besides the Cardinal electors, the residence of the Cardinals also houses those persons resident within the Vatican who also form part of the Conclave. The other persons, besides the Cardinal electors, who would reside at or enter the residence of the Cardinals during the Conclave are other ecclesiastics with specific duties related to the election. These include the Secretary of the College of Cardinals; the Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations; the Masters of Ceremonies; priests from the regular clergy for hearing confessions in the different languages; medical doctors for possible emergencies, as well as cleaning and cooking staff. All the persons indicated here have to receive prior approval from the Cardinal Camerlengo. Additionally, the Cardinals are denied access to all news media and are strictly forbidden to use mobile phones.

Before the Sealing of the Sistine Chapel

On the day that the Conclave begins, the Cardinal electors assemble in St Peter’s Basilica to celebrate the Eucharist. Then, they gather in the afternoon in the Pauline Chapel of the Palace of the Vatican, proceeding to the Sistine Chapel while singing the “Veni Creator Spiritus”, a hymn to the Holy Spirit. The Cardinals hear two exhortations before the election: one before actually entering the Conclave, and one once they are settled in the Sistine Chapel. In both cases, the exhortations are meant to lay out the current state of the Church, and to suggest the qualities necessary for a pope to possess in that specific time.

The Cardinals then take an oath to observe the procedures set down by the papal documents governing the Conclave. They promise that if elected, they will defend the liberty of the Holy See, maintain secrecy and disregard the instructions of secular authorities on voting. The Cardinal Dean reads the oath aloud in full; in order of precedence, the other Cardinal electors merely state, while touching the Gospels, that they “do so promise, pledge and swear”.

After all the Cardinals present have taken the oath, the Master of the Papal Liturgical Celebrations orders all individuals other than the cardinal electors and conclave participants to leave the Chapel. Traditionally, he stands at the door of the Sistine Chapel and calls out: “Extra omnes!” (Latin for, roughly, “Everybody else, out!”). He then closes the door of the Sistine Chapel.

The Master himself may remain, as may one ecclesiastic designated by the Congregations prior to the commencement of the election. The ecclesiastic gives a speech concerning the problems facing the Church and on the qualities the new pope needs to have. After the speech concludes, the ecclesiastic leaves. Following the recitation of prayers, the Cardinal Dean asks if any doubts relating to procedure remain. After the clarification of the doubts, the election may commence. Cardinals who arrive after the Conclave has begun are admitted nevertheless. An ill cardinal may leave the Conclave and later be readmitted; a cardinal who leaves for any reason other than illness may not return to the Conclave.

Secrecy is maintained during the Conclave; the Cardinals as well as the conclavists and staff are forbidden to disclose any information relating to the election. Cardinal electors may not correspond or converse with anyone outside the Conclave, by post, radio, telephone or otherwise, and eavesdropping is an offence punishable by automatic excommunication. Before the Conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI, the Sistine Chapel was “swept” using the latest electronic devices to detect any hidden “bugs” or surveillance devices. Media such as newspapers, the radio and television are specifically forbidden.

Who can be elected Pope?

In theory, any Catholic male who has reached the age of reason, is not a heretic, is not in schism, and is not “notorious” for simony can be elected pope. No law reserves to the Cardinals alone the right of being elected pope. In practice, however, the pope is usually chosen from among the ranks of the Cardinals. Pope Urban VI in 1378 was the last pope elected from outside the College of Cardinals. The last person elected as pope who was not already an ordained priest or monk was Pope Leo X in 1513, who was also the youngest pope ever elected. His successor, Pope Adrian VI, was the last to be elected in absentia. As the Catholic Church holds that women cannot be validly ordained, women are not eligible for the papacy. Claims that there was a female pope, including the legendary Pope Joan who reigned as pope for a few years during the Middle Ages, are generally considered fictitious. Though the pope is the Bishop of Rome, he need not be of Italian background. Pope Benedict XVI was a German and Pope Francis was an Argentinian.

Voting

The ballots used by the Cardinal electors are simple rectangular cards, with the words “I elect as Supreme Pontiff .....” printed on them. In the afternoon of the first day, one ballot may be held. If a ballot takes place in the afternoon of the first day and no-one is elected, or no ballot had taken place, four ballots are held on each successive day: two in the morning and two in the afternoon. Before voting in the morning and again before voting in the afternoon, the electors take an oath to obey the rules of the Conclave.

The Cardinal electors proceed, in order of precedence, to take their completed ballots (which bear only the name of the individual voted for) to the altar. Before casting the ballot, each Cardinal elector takes a Latin oath, which translates to: “I call as my witness Christ the Lord who will be my judge, that my vote is given to the one who before God I think should be elected”. If any Cardinal elector is in the Chapel, but cannot proceed to the altar due to infirmity, one of those in charge of the election (called a Scrutineer) may go to him and take his ballot after the oath is recited. If there are Cardinal electors who are by reason of infirmity confined to their rooms, one of the Infirmarians goes to their rooms with ballot papers and a box. Such sick Cardinals take the oath and then complete the ballot papers. When the Infirmarians return to the Chapel, the ballots are counted to ensure that their number matches with the number of ill Cardinals; thereafter, they are deposited in the appropriate receptacle. If no one is chosen on the first ballot, then a second ballot immediately follows. A total of four ballots are taken each day, two in the morning and two in the afternoon.

Once all votes have been cast, they are counted. If the number of votes does not correspond to the number of Cardinal electors present, the votes are burnt, unread, and the voting is repeated. If, however, no irregularities are observed, the votes are counted. For any candidate to emerge as a winner, he must obtain two-thirds of the votes. In the case of Pope Francis, the number had to be 77 votes, as the electors were 115. To elect the successor to Pope Francis, a candidate must receive a two-thirds majority of the votes cast by the cardinal electors present in the conclave. With 135 eligible cardinal electors participating in the 2025 conclave, this means a candidate would need at least 90 votes to be elected pope. If the required majority is not obtained, the votes are burned and chemicals are used to produce black smoke in a chimney in the Sistine Chapel to indicate that a pope has not been chosen. If, however, the required majority is obtained, the smoke that comes from the chimney is white.

If no result is obtained after three days of balloting, the process is suspended for a maximum of one day for prayer and an address by the senior Cardinal Deacon. After seven further ballots, the process may again be similarly suspended, with the address now being delivered by the senior Cardinal Priest. If, after another seven ballots, no result is achieved, voting is suspended once more, the address being delivered by the senior Cardinal Bishop. After a further seven ballots, there shall be a day of prayer, reflection and dialogue. In the following ballots, only the two names that received the most votes in the last ballot shall be eligible in a run-off election. However, the two people who are being voted on, if Cardinal electors, shall not themselves have the right to vote.

Acceptance and Proclamation

Once the election concludes, the Cardinal Dean summons the Secretary of the College of Cardinals and the Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations into the hall. The Cardinal Dean then asks the pope-elect if he assents to the election, saying: “Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?” There is no requirement that the pope-elect does so: he is free to say “I don’t accept”. In practice, however, any potential pope-elect who intends not to accept will explicitly state this before he has been given a sufficient number of votes to become Pope. This has happened in modern times with Giovanni Colombo in October 1978.

If he accepts, and is already a bishop, he immediately takes office. If the elected candidate happens not to be a bishop, he must first be ordained a bishop before he can assume office. According to immemorial tradition, he is ordained a bishop by the Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia. If a layman is elected, then the Cardinal Dean first ordains him deacon, then priest, and only then ordains him a bishop. Only after becoming a bishop does the pope-elect take office.

Choice of Papal Names

During the election of a pope at a conclave, when one candidate obtains the required majority, the Cardinal Dean who is in charge of the election proceeds to ask the pope-elect by what name he wishes to be known. The new pope then simply states what his papal name will be. Occasionally, he may offer an explanation for his choice, but no one expects that. Sometimes, he may offer an explanation later.

During the first centuries of the church, the priests who were elected bishops of Rome continued to use their baptismal names after their election. The custom of choosing a new name began in AD 533 with the election of a priest called Mercurius. He had been named after the Roman god Mercury, and he decided that it would not be appropriate for a pope to be named after a Roman god. Indeed, Mercury was the god of financial gain, commerce, eloquence, messages, communication (including divination), travellers, boundaries, luck, trickery and thieves; he also served as the guide of souls to the underworld. Mercurius subsequently decreed that he would be known as John II. After that, some popes changed their names and some did not. Since Sergius IV (1009-12), the custom has been followed with only two exceptions: Adrian VI (1522-23) and Marcellus II (1555) kept their baptismal names. Since the time of Marcellus II, it has been customary for all popes to change their names, although it is not required in any way.

Popes choose their papal names for a variety of reasons. For some, there may be a symbolic intent. The name chosen often reflects the pope’s theological priorities, values, or homage to predecessors or saints. For example, Pope John Paul I honoured John XXIII and Paul VI by choosing both John and Paul. For some, it would be inspiration from Saints. Thus, Pope Francis chose his name to evoke Saint Francis of Assisi’s humility and compassion. While no strict rules exist, the tradition remains flexible. Pope Francis broke precedent by selecting a name unused by previous popes, emphasizing a focus on social justice and renewal.

For other popes, continuity or reform may be in mind. Names like Benedict (Latin for “blessed”) or Pius (“pious”) may signal doctrinal focus or renewal. Other factors that come into play in the choice of papal names include the avoidance of controversy. Names tied to controversial figures (e.g., Borgia popes, known for alleged immorality) or those causing confusion (e.g., Stephen II, who died preconsecration) are typically avoided. Another factor is that there are some names that are reserved. For example, no pope has taken the name Peter out of reverence for Saint Peter, the first pope. Yet another factor is the use of ordinal numbers: Reused names include a numeral (e.g., Benedict XVI). New names (e.g., Francis) are designated “the First” but often omit the numeral until a successor adopts the same name.

After the papal name is chosen, the officials are readmitted to the Conclave, and the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Ceremonies writes a document recording the acceptance and the new name of the Pope. Later, the new Pope goes to the “Room of Tears”, a small red room next to the Sistine Chapel. The Pope dresses by himself, choosing a set of pontifical choir robes from three sizes provided. Then, he vests in a gold corded pectoral cross and a red embroidered stole. He wears a white zucchetto (“skull cap”) on his head. The Cardinals then advance and pay him the first “obedience”, or homage. The Fisherman’s Ring is then put on the finger of the pope.

Introducing the new Pope

Next, the senior Cardinal Deacon appears at the main balcony of the basilica’s façade to proclaim the new Pope with the phrase (assuming the new Pope was a cardinal):

I announce to you a great joy:
We have a Pope!
The Most Eminent and Most Reverend Lord, Lord [forename],
Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church [surname], who takes to himself the name [papal name].

Soon afterwards, the new pope, wearing pontifical robes, appears at the same balcony and gives his first blessing as pope to the crowd. The conclave ends when the new pope disbands it, usually after addressing the body of cardinals. Traditionally, the installation of the new pope takes place a few days later, the day being fixed by the pope himself.