Pope Francis Dies, Setting Vatican's Sede Vacante Protocol in Motion
The news hit the Vatican early: Pope Francis passed away on April 21, 2025, after suffering a stroke and subsequent irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse. The medical update came straight from Vatican health officials, who also noted his chronic health struggles—pneumonia, bronchiectases, hypertension, and diabetes. Anyone following the pope’s declining health over recent years probably wasn’t shocked, but the reality of a papal death is still a seismic event for the Catholic Church.
As soon as the death was official, the Vatican rolled into action under a unique phase called sede vacante, the period between the death of a pope and the election of his successor. It’s a time when the normal gears of papal power grind to a halt and a tightly choreographed process—designed over centuries—takes center stage.
The Camerlengo Steps Up: Rituals and Responsibilities
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the man with the job title of camerlengo, has suddenly become the most important figure in the Vatican’s daily operations. Since 2019, Farrell has been ready for this call. His first task was to formally confirm Pope Francis’s death. Then, with a gravity that underscores the change in leadership, Farrell broke the Ring of the Fisherman—a symbolic gesture that revokes the late pope’s authority and seals the transition. Next came the ritual of sealing the private quarters, including the pope’s rooms both at Casa Santa Marta and inside the grand Apostolic Palace. This isn’t just tradition—it’s about preserving integrity and preventing any tampering during the power vacuum.
Farrell wasn’t working alone. He quickly notified Cardinal Baldassare Reina, who serves as the cardinal vicar of Rome, triggering the official public announcement. In the meantime, the Vatican’s daily business started shifting under the rules set by the Apostolic Constitutions Universi Dominici Gregis and Praedicate Evangelium. These documents read like a playbook for everything from mourning ceremonies to the start of the next conclave. Their detailed instructions make sure the centuries-old rituals remain unbroken—right down to the order of who gets notified, how offices are sealed, and how the late pope’s identity is preserved.
In a nod to more modern times, the office known as the Apostolic Camera, once responsible for handling Church assets and administration between popes, has been revamped by recent reforms. Farrell manages this with the help of a trio of cardinals. Their job is to keep the Vatican running, minus the single, all-powerful papal hand on the wheel.
Now all eyes turn to Rome, where cardinals from every corner of the globe will soon arrive. Their mission is clear: elect the next pope inside the secretive conclave. The exact dates aren’t fixed yet—logistics, security, and mourning arrangements get in the way—but the world knows: the next head of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics will soon emerge from behind closed doors.
Write a comment