When the Roman Pontiff dies. BRIEF EXCURSION HISTORICAL-LITURGICAL

Every Pope, in his role of vicar of Christ, does not belong entirely to itself; This is evident in particular when death arrives. In the recent past, hardly, the Popes managed to die in peace, in the silence, away from prying eyes or preamble rituals. A Pope almost never passed away alone but, like an ancient ruler, he was surrounded by his courtiers.

— Liturgical ministry —

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The death of the Roman Pontiff it is a particular moment for the life of the Catholic Church; a technically defined passage Apostolic See vacant, which brings with it a set of acts, of events and rituals that, by their nature, they are one of a kind.

We do not want to make a systematic treatment of it here, but rather touch, also through recourse to history, some liturgical and ritual aspects that passed before our eyes on the occasion of the death of Pope Francis.

Dying as a Pope. The first station

Every Pope, in his role of vicar of Christ, does not belong entirely to itself; This is evident in particular when death arrives. In the recent past, hardly, the Popes managed to die in peace, in the silence, away from prying eyes or preamble rituals. A Pope almost never passed away alone but, like an ancient ruler, he was surrounded by his courtiers. At the first signs of agony, indeed, a series of detailed ceremonial actions were set in motion that accompanied the Pontiff towards his earthly end.

First thing first all the cardinals resident in Rome were notified, as well as all the holders of the various Dicasteries of the Holy See; and a silent procession began in front of the dying man to pay him his last respects. The Anointing of the Sick and the Viaticum were administered by the Cardinal Vicar, while it was the task of the penitentiaries and canons of the Vatican Basilica to raise the accompanying prayers in the agony, especially the litanies of the saints canonized by the dying Pontiff.

He took his last breath, the Pope's death was confirmed by the doctor; the Master of the Chamber covered the face of the deceased Pontiff with a white veil and, while the celebrations of the SS began in the private chapel. Masses for his soul, an initial dressing was carried out: the white cassock, the spool and the papal mozzetta. Only at this moment was the Cardinal Camerlengo introduced who effectively, in the vacant Apostolic See, assumes the "regency" of the Church. Escorted by the Swiss guards, he performed the act of official recognition of the Pontiff's death for the entire Church. The Camerlengo, intoned the From the depths, she removed the veil and struck the deceased's forehead three times, calling him by his first name: «N. I know dead?»; on the third shot, receiving no response, he announced: «The Pope is really dead». This ritual no longer happens today. The reform desired by Pope Francis, establishes that the official confirmation of death takes place in the chapel, after the Pope's body has already been composed.

Today those rituals which may even seem "folkroistic" and which revolved around the agony and death of the Pope have given way to moments of ecclesial prayer, to affirm faith in God to whom we always belong and in whose hands we always are, alive or dead. The Pope who has just left this world and the Virgin Mary are recommended to God the Father, with the singing of Hi Regina, we are asked to show the face of Jesus to the deceased Pope, blessed fruit of her womb. Task of the Cardinal Camerlengo, at this stage, is to break the Fisherman's Ring and annul the Papal Seal.

The Pope's body is embalmed to allow conservation on days of public display. Once upon a time this process, which contemplated the use of ancient embalming techniques, it also involved the removal of viscera, while the heart of the deceased Pope was preserved in an urn in the choir of the Church of SS. Vincent and Athanasius at the Trevi Fountain. It is believed that this practice last occurred on the occasion of the death of Leo XIII. Today, to avoid excessive manipulation, less invasive methods are used.

The body of the Pope, under the supervision of the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, he is dressed in pontifical robes: the shirts, the red chasuble, the pallium, the white miter edged with gold, the white skullcap, an episcopal ring and the pectoral cross. Red is the liturgical color of "papal mourning", used by the Pontiff even during his lifetime, when for example he presides over the funeral rite. As we know, it is a color that recalls the blood of martyrs and the living presence of the Holy Spirit; for this reason the Pope, as successor of Peter, he is wrapped in red vestments which symbolize his service entirely dedicated to Christ and the Church, in the testimony of faith.

With the placing of the body of the deceased in the coffin — was once placed on a sedan chair, but Francesco, reforming the rites of papal funerals, has arranged differently — begins the First Station, which takes place in the place where the Pope died. It is therefore a moment reserved for the people closest to him, accompanied by the prayer of suffrage.

See Peter. The second station

On the day and time established by the College of Cardinals, the body of the deceased Pontiff is moved to St. Peter's Basilica "where he often exercised his ministry as Bishop of the Church in Rome and as Pastor of the Universal Church" (Ordo Funeral of the Roman Pontiff, later OERP, edition 2005, n. 68) to receive the homage of the faithful. Once upon a time the Pope's body was displayed in the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, on a reclining catafalque which allowed the faithful to touch his feet for the final act of veneration. Today, more significantly, the coffin is placed in front of the altar of Confession, at the tomb of the Apostle Peter.

The procession it is accompanied by the singing of some psalms and evangelical canticles suitable for the occasion, while at the entrance to the Basilica the litanies of the saints are sung. For a few days, the Pontiff's body will remain on display in the basilica and will receive homage from the faithful: «Near the body, the faithful will raise incessant prayers to God for the late Pontiff" (OERP, edition 2005, n.87).

During these days various moments of community prayer are planned, in particular the celebration of the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours.

And in my flesh I shall see God, my savior. The third station: Funeral mass and burial

The Holy Funeral Mass represents the culminating moment of the funeral of the Roman Pontiff. The Constitution Dominic Flock which regulates the phases of the Vacant Apostolic See, establishes that this moment occurs within the 4th and 6th day of the Pope's death. It is the Cardinals who establish the place of the solemn funeral, ma, given the foreseeable participation of the people, generally these take place in St. Peter's Square.

The day before the funeral the rite of closing the coffin takes place, an occasion full of meaning, since it is the moment in which the body of the Pope is removed from now on from the sight of the people of God. After reading and signing the Deed, a document that recalls the main events and acts of the Pontiff's life, the Pope's face is covered with a white veil «in the lively hope that he can contemplate the face of the Father, together with the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the Saints" (OERP, edition 2005, n.95). So the Deed and some coins minted during the pontificate are placed in the coffin before its actual closure.

The funeral Mass is presided over by the Cardinal Dean and concelebrated by the Cardinals and Patriarchs of the Eastern Churches. These funerals do not differ, in their main structure, from those of any Christian. As the first reading, a text from the Acts of the Apostles is proclaimed (10,34-43); as a response the Salmo 23 ("The Lord is my shepherd") followed by a passage from the Letter to the Philippians (3,20–4,1) and the famous evangelical passage of John which directly recalls the Petrine ministry: «Simone, you love Me? man, you know that I love you" (GV 21,15-19).

A characteristic element of the funeral liturgy of the Supreme Pontiff is represented byLast Recommendation and Farewell which corresponds to the greeting that the community of believers addresses to its brother and to the Pastor of the universal Church. At the Pope's funeral this greeting is given:

– From the Church of Rome to its bishop, through the mouth of the Cardinal Vicar, invoking the Blessed Virgin Mary The health of the Roman people, the apostles, and martyrs, i papi, i santi e sante romani;

– From the Eastern Churches, through the mouth of a Patriarch united with the other representatives of the Eastern Churches;

– From the entire Catholic Church to its pastor, through the mouth of the Cardinal Dean.

This triple entrustment of the soul of the deceased, ends with a renewed profession of faith, expressed by school that, during sprinkling and censing, sings:

"I believe: The Lord is risen and lives,
and one day I too will rise again with him.
May I contemplate you, my God and my Savior.
My eyes will open to his light,
and my gaze will rest on him.
May I contemplate you, my God and my Savior.
I keep this hope firm in my heart:
May I contemplate you, my God and my Savior".

At the end of the funeral celebration, the coffin is picked up and accompanied to the burial site. Burial in the Vatican caves, under St. Peter's Basilica, it has become traditional; however the Pope can decide differently, as did Pope Francis who chose to be buried in Santa Maria Maggiore.

The novendials

It's tradition, also confirmed by the reform desired by Pope Francis, that starting from the funeral Mass there will be nine days of Eucharistic celebrations in suffrage of the deceased Pope. All the people of God are involved in these celebrations, even if they are entrusted to particular categories of people: faithful of the Vatican City, of the Church of Rome, the Chapters of the Papal Basilicas, the members of the Roman Curia, the Eastern Churches.

The whole Church spread throughout the world unites in prayer and strengthens faith and hope; thus even death becomes a gift of grace and an opportunity to thank and bless the God of all consolation.

«A Pope dies, another one is made»

This famous saying, which may even sound fatalistic, And, in fact, what happens after the death of every Roman Pontiff. It could be said that the Vacant office it is that powerful moment in which the Pontificate enters into a sort of "anonymity" so that the deceased pontiff and his elected successor, because they belong to something bigger, they seem to pass on the soul of the role. This is what the famous Roman poet Giacchino Belli states: the dead Pope gives the spirit of the important task to the newly elected. The external forms of the body or even the brain can vary, but that will be the legacy, since wanted by the eternal. With bold verses, but significant, the poet says: it almost seems as if the body of the new Pope falls from the sky without a soul, but only with vital breath. Because dignity, the soul of the role of each pontiff is left to him by those who preceded him.

I now leave Ariel to Father reading poetry Is passa-mano, published by Gioacchino Belli on 4 October 1835:

"Is Papa, is Visceddio, Our Lord,
He is an eternal Father like the Eternal Father.
Ciove doesn't die, O, ppe ddí mmejjo, more,
But more only at the outside.

Because there his body leaves the government,
The soul, stop the ancient honor at the end,
Non go nn in paradise the hell,
Steps subbit in the chief arch.

That's how the brain changes a bit,
The stommium, the ears, is naso, is pelo;
Ma is Papa, in quant’ a Ppapa, it's always that.

And so every body is distinct
To that indignity, ccasca gift even
Soulless, and in a den door, what a breath".

Florence, 1° May 2025

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WHEN THE ROMAN PONTIFF DIES. A BRIEF HISTORICAL-LITURGICAL EXCURSUS

Every Pope, in his role as Vicar of Christ, does not belong entirely to himself; this is particularly evident when death comes. In the recent past, Popes rarely managed to die in peace, in silence, far from prying eyes or preamble rituals. A Pope almost never passed away alone but, like an ancient sovereign, was surrounded by his courtiers.

— Liturgical pastoral —

.

.

The death of the Roman Pontiff is a special moment in the life of the Catholic Church; a passage technically defined Vacant See, which brings with it a set of acts, events and rites that, by their nature, are unique in their kind.

We do not want to make a systematic treatment of it here, but rather touch, also by recourse to history, on some liturgical and ritual aspects that passed before our eyes on the occasion of the death of Pope Francis.

Dying as Pope. The First stage

Every Pope, in his role as Vicar of Christ, does not belong entirely to himself; this is particularly evident when death comes. In the recent past, Popes rarely managed to die in peace, in silence, far from prying eyes or preamble rituals. A Pope almost never passed away alone but, like an ancient sovereign, was surrounded by his courtiers. At the first signs of agony, in fact, a series of meticulous ceremonial actions were set in motion that accompanied the Pontiff towards his earthly end.

The first thing to do: notify all the cardinals residing in Rome, and all the heads of the various Dicasteries of the Holy See; a silent procession before the dying man to pay him their last respects. The Anointing of the Sick and the Viaticum administered by the Cardinal Vicar, while it was the task of the penitentiaries and canons of the Vatican Basilica to raise the prayers accompanying him in his agony, especially the Litanies of the Saints canonized by the dying Pontiff.

After the Pope’s last breath, his death is certified by the doctor; the Master of the Chamber covered the deceased Pontiff’s face with a white veil and, while the celebrations of the Holy Masses for his soul began in the private chapel, the first vestment was carried out: the white cassock, the rochet and the papal mozzetta. Only at this moment was the Cardinal Camerlengo introduced, who in fact, in the Vacant Apostolic See, assumed the “regency” of the Church. Escorted by the Swiss guards, he performed the act of official recognition of the Pontiff’s death for the entire Church. The Camerlengo, having intoned the De Profundis, removed the veil and struck the deceased’s forehead three times, calling him by his baptismal name: «(Name). are you dead?»; at the third blow, receiving no response, he announced: "Truly the Pope is dead". This rite no longer occurs today. The reform desired by Pope Francis establishes that the official certification of death takes place in the chapel, after the Pope’s body has already been composed.

Today those rituals that may even seem “folkloristic” around the agony and death of the Pope have given way to moments of ecclesial prayer, to affirm faith in God to whom we always belong and in whose hands we always are, whether alive or dead. The Pope who has just left this world is recommended to God the Father and the Virgin Mary, with the singing of the Hi Regina, is asked to show the deceased Pope the face of Jesus, the blessed fruit of her womb. The task of the Cardinal Camerlengo, in this phase, is to break the Ring of the Fisherman and cancel the Papal Seal.

The body of the Roman Pontiff is embalmed to allow for its preservation during the days of public display. At one time, this process, which involved the use of ancient embalming techniques, also included the removal of the viscera, while the heart of the deceased Pope was preserved in an urn in the choir of the Church of St. Vincenzo e Atanasio at the Trevi Fountain. It is believed that this practice took place for the last time on the occasion of the death of Leo XIII. Today, to avoid excessive manipulation, less invasive methods are used.

The body of the Roman Pontiff, under the supervision of the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, is dressed in pontifical vestments: the alb, the red chasuble, the cloak, the white miter edged with gold, the white skullcap, an episcopal ring and the pectoral cross. Red is the liturgical colour of “papal mourning”, used by the Pontiff even in life, for example when he presides over the funeral rite. As we know, it is a colour that recalls the blood of the martyrs and the living presence of the Holy Spirit; for this reason the Pope, as the successor of Peter, is wrapped in red vestments that symbolize his service entirely consecrated to Christ and to the Church, in the testimony of faith.

With the deposition of the body of the deceased in the catafalque — once it was placed on a stretcher, but Francis, reforming the rites of papal funerals, has arranged otherwise — the First Station begins, which takes place in the place where the Pope died. It is therefore a moment reserved for the people closest to him, accompanied by prayers of suffrage.

See Peter. The Second Stage

On the day and at the time established by the College of Cardinals, the body of the deceased Pontiff is transferred to St. Peter’s Papal Archibasilic “where he often exercised his ministry as Bishop of the Church in Rome and Pastor of the Universal Church” (Order of Roman Pontifical Funerals, hereinafter, 2005 edition, n. 68) to receive the homage of the faithful. In the past, the body of the Pope was exposed in the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, on a reclining catafalque that allowed the faithful to touch his feet for the final act of veneration. Today, more significantly, the coffin is placed in front of the Altar of Confession, in correspondence with the tomb of the Apostle Peter.

The procession is accompanied by the singing of some psalms and evangelical hymns appropriate to the occasion, while at the entrance to the Basilica the litanies of the saints are intoned. For a few days, the body of the Pontiff will remain exposed in the basilica and will receive the homage of the faithful: “At the body, the faithful will raise incessant prayers to God for the deceased Pontiff” (Order of Funerals of the Roman Pontiffs, 2005 edition, n.87).

During these days, various moments of community prayer are planned, in particular the celebration of the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours.

And in my flesh I shall see God, my savior. The Third Stage: Funeral Mass and Burial

The Funeral Mass is the culminating moment of the funeral of the Roman Pontiff. The Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis which regulates the phases of the Apostolic See Vacant, establishes that this moment occurs within the 4th and 6th day after the death of the Pope. The Cardinals are the ones who establish the place of the solemn funeral, but, given the foreseeable crowd of people, generally these take place in St. Peter’s Square.

The day before the funeral, the rite of closing the coffin takes place, an occasion full of meaning, since it is the moment in which the Pope’s body is removed from the sight of the people of God from now on. After the reading and signing of the Deed, a document that recalls the main events and acts of the Pontiff’s life, the Pope’s face is covered with a white veil “in the fervent hope that he may contemplate the face of the Father, together with the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the Saints” (Order of Roman Pontifical Funerals, 2005 edition, n.95). Then the Deed and some coins minted during the pontificate are placed in the coffin before its actual closing.

The funeral Mass is presided over by the Cardinal Dean and concelebrated by the Cardinals and Patriarchs of the Eastern Churches. These funerals do not differ, in their main structure, from those of any Christian. As the first reading, a text from the Acts of the Apostles is proclaimed (10:34-43); as a responsory, Psalm 23 (“The Lord is my shepherd”), followed by a passage from the Letter to the Philippians (3:20-4:1) and the famous Gospel passage from John which directly recalls the Petrine ministry: “Simon, do you love me? Lord, you know that I love you” (Jn 21:15-19).

A characteristic element of the funeral liturgy of the Supreme Pontiff is represented by the Last Recommendation and Farewell which corresponds to the greeting that the community of believers addresses to the brother and the Pastor of the universal Church. In the funeral of the Pope this greeting is given:

– From the Church of Rome to its Bishop, through the mouth of the Cardinal Vicar, invoking the Blessed Virgin Mary The health of the Roman people, the apostles, the martyrs, the popes, the Roman saints and saints;

– From the Eastern Churches, through the mouth of a Patriarch united with the other representatives of the Eastern Churches;

– From the entire Catholic Church to its pastor, through the mouth of the Cardinal Dean.

This triple entrustment of the soul of the deceased ends with a renewed profession of faith, expressed by the choir which, during the sprinkling and incensing, sings:

«I believe: The Lord is risen and lives,
and one day I too will rise with him.
That I may contemplate you, my God and my Savior.
My eyes will open to his light,
and my gaze will rest on him.
That I may contemplate you, my God and my Savior.
I keep this hope firm in my heart:
That I may contemplate you, my God and my Savior».

At the end of the funeral celebration, the coffin is collected and accompanied to the place of burial. Burial in the Vatican Grottoes, under St. Peter’s Basilica, has become traditional; however, the Pope can decide otherwise, as Pope Francis did, who chose to be buried in the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Greater.

The novendials

It is a tradition, also confirmed by the reform desired by Holy Father Francis, that starting from the funeral Mass, nine days of Eucharistic celebrations follow in suffrage of the deceased Pope. All the people of God are involved in these celebrations, even if they are entrusted to particular categories of People of God: faithful of the Vatican City, of the Church of Rome, the Chapters of the Papal Basilicas, members of the Roman Curia, the Eastern Churches.

The entire Church throughout the world unites in prayer and strengthens faith and hope; thus even death becomes a gift of grace and an opportunity to thank and bless the God of all consolation.

«When a Pope dies, another one is always made»

This famous saying, which may even sound fatalistic, is, in fact, what happens after the death of every Roman Pontiff. One could say that the Vacant See is that moment in which the Pontificate enters into a sort of “anonymity” so that the deceased pontiff and his elected successor, since they belong to something greater, seem to pass on the soul of the role.

This is what the famous Roman poet Gioacchino Belli stated in 1835: the dead Pope hands over to the newly elected the spirit of the important task. The external forms of the body or even the brain may vary, but the legacy will be the same, since it is willed by the eternal. With bold but significant verses, the poet says: it almost seems as if the body of the new Pope falls from the sky without a soul, but only with the breath of life. Because the dignity, the soul of the role of every pontiff is left to him by those who preceded him.

Florence, May 1st 2025

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