How the next Pope will be chosen and why Palmer-Buckle says Cardinal Turkson's election would be a great honour for Ghana
Pope Francis has died at the age of 88. The Vatican announced that at 07:35 local time on Easter Monday the head of the Roman Catholic Church "returned to the house of the Father" at his residence, Casa Santa Marta. He was the first Latin American pope in the Church’s history.
Following tradition, the pontiff’s death was confirmed by the head of the Vatican’s health department and the cardinal chamberlain (camerlengo, in Italian) Kevin Joseph Farrell.
The Pope’s body will now be taken to his chapel for a private ceremony, in which it will be placed in a single coffin - a departure from the three nested coffins common in previous pontiffs' funerals.
There are currently 252 Catholic cardinals, but only 135 are eligible to cast ballots in selecting the next Pope as those over the age of 80 can take part in debate but cannot vote.
135 cardinals are under the age of 80, which makes them eligible to select Pope Francis's successor.
Once Francis is buried, the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, has 15 to 20 days to summon the cardinals to Rome.
Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference
The Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference (GCBC) following the death of Pope Francis has urged the church in Ghana to pray and prepare hearts for the election of his successor.
In a statement, the Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, the Catholic Bishop of Sunyani and President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference, asked for prayers as the church mourns "our beloved Holy Father and as we prepare our hearts for the election of his successor."
In a television interview with Accra-based TV3 and in his tribute to Pope Francis, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Cape Coast, Most Reverend Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle described Pope Francis as a towering moral voice whose legacy transcended religious boundaries, reports Gertrude Ankah.
He indicated Pope Francis was not only a preacher but someone who fully lived out his convictions.
“Pope Francis did not only preach; he lived what he believed,” he remarked, praising the late pontiff’s efforts to promote environmental responsibility, interfaith harmony, and human dignity.
Cardinal Turkson: Ghana’s hopeful
And as the Cardinals prepare to go into conclave to select the next Pope, Most Rev Palmer-Buckle suggested that Ghana’s Cardinal Peter Appiah Turkson could be a strong candidate.
“He is of the right age, with immense experience, having served in key roles at the Vatican... If the Cardinals see him fit, we will support him with our prayers. His election would be a great honour for Ghana.”
Still, he noted, the final decision rests with the College of Cardinals and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
“Let’s leave it to the Lord to show us who the next Pope should be,” he said, calling on Catholics worldwide to join in prayerful reflection.
How next Pope will be chosen
Inside the conclave
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Europe - 53
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Asia - 23
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Latin America - 21
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Africa - 18
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North America - 16
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Oceania - 4
During the conclave, the cardinals live in the House of St Martha, a five-story guesthouse with 106 suites, 22 single rooms and a state apartment. Pope Francis lived in suite 201 during his papacy.
The cardinals will walk along the Via delle Fondamenta every day to the Sistine Chapel, where the conclave happens. All conversations with outsiders are forbidden during this period.
The faithful gather in St Peter’s Square during the conclave, waiting for the moment when the smoke comes out of the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.
Choosing the pontiff
Papal conclaves are notoriously difficult to predict because the election process is shrouded in so much secrecy. Once they enter the Sistine Chapel, they must have no communication with the outside world until a new Pope is elected.
The only people admitted in the chapel and in the guesthouse are doctors, confessors, masters of ceremonies, cooks, and cleaning staff. But they are also bound to secrecy about anything concerning the conclave.
“Unlike other world governments, these men are not aligned with any particular political parties so one never knows exactly what their priorities are, where they stand on controversial issues and what they will have top of mind when they cast their ballot. All of it adds up to a lot of intrigue and very little certainty,” says the BBC's Davide Ghiglione in Rome.
The cardinals may take some inspiration from the frescos and artwork of Michelangelo inside the Sistine Chapel.
Above the altar is the imposing Last Judgement with trumpeting angels on clouds rousing the dead.
Cardinals take turns casting their votes on a simple card that says, in Latin: "I elect as Supreme Pontiff."
They walk in line, in order of seniority, and place their cards inside the large silver and guilded urn.
Three assistants to the camerlengo, the scrutineers, will then count the votes as they are read out loud. All the paper cards are then threaded together and burnt.
Two furnaces are installed at the back of the Sistine Chapel for the conclave.
The one on the right is used for the burning of the ballot papers and the one on the left is used to generate additional smoke to signal which way the vote has gone.
Chemical compounds are mixed to make black smoke for an unsuccessful vote or white smoke to declare that a new Pope has been chosen.
The smoke is released via a chimney visible to people waiting in St Peter’s Square. The release of white smoke is accompanied by pealing of bells – to avoid confusion.
A new Pope is elected only when a two-thirds majority of votes is reached - and that can take time.
If it doesn’t happen in the first afternoon, the cardinals will vote up to four times every day. They can take a prayer break after a third day without reaching a decision.
From then on, they can take another break every seven votes. If, after 33 rounds, no decision is still made, a run-off will happen between the two most voted candidates.
It’s not uncommon for conclaves to last a few days - the longest in history lasted two years and nine months, starting in 1268.
But after several rule changes to speed up the process over time, the average length of a conclave since the beginning of the 20th century has been three days. The longest, in 1922, lasted five.
Both Pope Francis and his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, were elected after two days.
What’s in a name?
Once a Pope is elected, he has to formally accept the job in front of the College of Cardinals, and state his papal name.
In a press conference after his election, Pope Francis said his name honoured St Francis of Assisi, and that he was inspired by his Brazilian friend Cardinal Claudio Hummes.
The pontiff told reporters that when he was proclaimed, Hummes hugged and kissed him, saying: "Do not forget the poor."
For more than 500 years, popes used their own names. This changed to symbolic names in order to simplify their given names or to refer to previous pontiffs.
That is the main reason most popes in history have chosen the name John.
After stating his new name, the new Pope is taken to the so-called "Room of Tears", an antechamber in the Sistine Chapel, where he first receives his papal robes and accessories like the white cassock, a cape called the mozzetta and a white skullcap called the zucchetto.
The room earns its nickname from accounts of previous popes who, overwhelmed by the weight of the moment, were moved to tears after their election.
What he chooses to wear from that selection in those first minutes is a personal decision - one that can signal how he sees the role he’s just accepted. Pope Francis notably declined to wear the elaborate red cope (a ceremonial cloak worn by clergy) with ermine, opting instead for a simple white cassock.
On a balcony in St Peter’s Basilica overlooking the square, the new Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church will introduce himself to hundreds of faithful from all around the world.
The traditional announcement will echo around the square: "Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum... habemus papam!" - "I announce to you a great joy... we have a Pope!"
With additional files from the BBC
