End of Papacy by Death or Resignation

End of Papacy by Death or Resignation

For a new election to take place, the reigning papacy must end either by Death or by Resignation.

Resignation

The 1983 Code of Canon Law states, "If it happens that the Roman Pontiff resigns his office, it is required for validity that the resignation is made freely and properly manifested but not that it is accepted by anyone."

Pope Benedict XVI resigned on February 28, 2013 at 8:00 p.m. Once the resignation takes effect, the papacy is vacant (sede vacante) and the procedure for calling a conclave to elect a new pope commences exactly in the same way as in the death of a pope. 

Death

Regardless of the circumstances, when a Pope dies certain procedures specified in Church law, specifically the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis, must be followed. First among these is the certification that he is truly dead. This task falls to the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church.

In recent centuries, when a pope was judged to have died, it was traditional for the Cardinal Carmelengo to confirm the death ceremonially by gently tapping the pope's head thrice with a silver hammer, calling his birth name each time. This was certainly not done on the deaths of Popes John Paul I and John Paul II. 

In the presence of the Master of Papal Liturgical Ceremonies, the Cleric Prelates of the Apostolic Camera, and the Secretary and the Chancellor of the Apostolic Camera, the Camerlengo ascertains that the Pope is dead. Replacing the traditional silver hammer, this is done with the assistance of medical personnel, likely the Pope’s doctor. Having made this determination, the Chancellor of the Apostolic Camera draws up the official death certificate. 

The Camerlengo then seals the Pope’s bedroom and study. Its unsealing and the  disposition of its contents must wait the election of his successor. If the deceased Pope has left a will naming an executor for his personal belongings, the executor is responsible for faithfully carrying out the will, and for giving an account of his service to the new Pope.

At this time, the heads of dicasteries cease to exercise their offices. They will either be reconfirmed to their positions or reassigned when a new pope is elected. There are a few exceptions to this rule, one being the Major Penitentiary and the Camerlengo who keep their positions until the new pope confirms or reassigns them. The dead popes aides (nuns and secretaries that lived with him) are dismissed.

The Camerlengo then notifies the Archpriest of the Vatican Basilica, and the Cardinal Vicar of the Diocese of Rome. It is the Cardinal Vicar who publicly  announces to the City of Rome that its Bishop has died. The bells of St. Peter's Basilica are rung to inform the public of the pope's death. Between the Camerlengo and the Prefect of the Papal Household, the Dean of the College of Cardinals must be informed. 

The Dean, in turn, officially notifies the other Cardinals, and calls them to Rome. All Cardinals under 80 years old travel to Rome. Cardinals over 80 may choose to do so and attend the funeral and the preparatory sessions before the conclave. However, they are not permitted to take part in the election. 

The Dean also notifies the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See, and the Heads of State of the various  nations. 

The Camerlengo must must also take custody of the Apostolic Palaces of the Vatican, the Lateran Palace and Castel Gondolfo, that is, the various personal quarters of the Pope.

The Camerlengo retrieves the Ring of the Fisherman and lead seal (used to seal Papal documents and apostolic letters) to be destroyed in the presence of the Cardinals. The Pope's Fisherman’s ring is traditionally smashed by a special silver hammer to keep them from ever being used again or used for forgery. Pope Benedict XIV’s ring was retired and only it’s insignia scratched with a cross to be kept for posterity.

After the Pope's body has been properly prepared it is taken to the Clementine Hall in the Apostolic Palace for the private veneration of the Papal Household and the Cardinals. The Pope’s body is laid on a sloped olive-sheeted catafalque and his head propped on a stack of three gold pillows. Near the catafalque is placed a wooden crucifix and a paschal candle symbolic of Jesus Christ as the light of the world in the face of darkness and death. Four Swiss guards in full ceremonial dress will guard the pope’s body at the four corners.

Today, a deceased Roman Pontiff is vested much more simply than in previous generations. The pope is laid out in a white cassock and alb, red chasuable, pallium, and red shoes, a white zucchetto and miter with gold trim with papal cross staff (crucifix). In the pope’s hands clasped a rosary. 

Pope’s have been traditionally embalmed after death. Pope John Paul II was not embalmed and lay in state without normal treatment for preservation. Also, it was customary for popes to have their organs removed after death. Pope Pius X ended this practice during his reign, and the wish of some Poles that John Paul II's heart be buried in Poland was not obliged.

The Cardinals meet daily in General Congregations between the death or resignation and the start of the election. They plan for the funeral and election, ensure the destruction of the Fisherman's ring  and choose two theologians known for sound doctrine to present meditations on (1) issues facing the church and (2) the need for careful discernment in choosing the pope. Cardinals over 80 may participate in the General Congregations. A Particular Congregation of four cardinals also meets to handle ordinary matters.

The first order of business is to schedule the public exposition of the Pope’s body, at which the faithful can pay their final respects.

The Pope’s body will be brought to St Peter’s basilica to lie in state, in a procession that will form in the Clementine hall of the apostolic palace and proceed out through the Bronze Door, through St. Peter’s Square, into the basilica. The great Bronze Door, through which guests are admitted to the apostolic palace, is then closed. It will not be opened until a new Pope is elected. All traffic in and out of the apostolic palace goes through other entries.

In the Clementine Hall, the body of the pope is moved onto a red velvet catafalque, with his head propped on three red pillows. The Carmelengo, dressed in red and gold vestments officiates the asperges rite. He blesses the pope with the holy waters of baptism three times: to the right of the pope, at his head and then to his left. The Carmelengo then incenses the pope three times using a thurible. The Papal Gentlemen, regaled in black morning coats and white gloves act as pallbearers and carry the pope's bier down across the square and into the basilica. During the procession, the Litany of the Saints and other prayers such as Kyrie Eleison is sung. 

The Pope’s body will be placed on the Altar of Confession, on a simple catafalque. The paschal candle is lit and the body of the Pope incensed again by the Carmelengo. Prayers are said and a reading from the Gospels is performed by a deacon. The College of Cardinals pay their respects and leave the sanctuary, the basilica is closed and then reopened for the official lying in state to last until the day of the Mass of Requiem and subsequent interment.

All of the flags at the Vatican, and at the offices of papal nuncios throughout the world, will be a half-mast throughout the interregnum. Until the new Pope is selected, all cardinals will receive the same elaborate signs of respect from the Swiss Guard that are ordinarily reserved only for the Roman Pontiff.

In a tradition that goes back for 600 years, Mass is celebrated for the repose of the deceased Pope’s soul for 9 consecutive days: the Novemdiales before the funeral. Universi Domini Gregis specifies that the Pope’s body should be prepared for burial between the 4th and 6th days after his death.

The Dean of the College of Cardinals leads the Mass of Requiem by virtue of his office. Concelebrating in the Mass of Requiem are the College of Cardinals and the patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic Churches. The cardinals wear the red chasuble and white mitre.  

As the Mass of Requiem begins, the doors of St. Peter's Basilica are closed with dignitaries asked to stand outside the church. Only the College of Cardinals and the patriarchs and presiding metropolitans of the Eastern Catholic Churches are allowed inside for a private ceremony in which the pope is placed in a cypress coffin, the first of three.

Once laid in the coffin, a white silk veil is placed over the face of the pope. The body was lowered into a cypress coffin, which served as the innermost coffin. Along with the body was a sealed document, the Rogito, a eulogy detailing the life and works of the pope. It is read aloud in Latin by the Papal Master of Ceremonies and signed by those present during the funeral before being placed in the coffin. Three bags containing gold, silver, and copper (euro) coins are placed beside the body. Each bag contained one coin for each year of the pope’s reign, the only monetary compensation he received for his service as pope. The pope is buried in his vestments, with a certified death certificate, key documents of his papacy and medals struck during his papacy and the destroyed Fisherman's ring.

The coffin is sealed. After the private ceremony, the doors of St. Peter's Basilica are opened and the mass proper begins with the cardinals  processing from inside the basilica to a marble altar apron in the middle of St. Peter's Square where the Mass of Requiem is held. The coffin is carried by the pallbearers and placed on a carpet in from of the altar in the square. The book of the Gospels is placed on the coffin during the requiem mass.

 After the Eucharistic celebration, the the Rite of Final Commendation and Farewell is performed by the Dean of the College of Cardinals as main celebrant. The coffin is incensed and prayed for at the end of the mass.

The Papal Gentlemen then carry the coffin back into the basilica through the central door of St. Peter's Basilica for internment. At that point a single bell is tolled. The pallbearers take the coffin through the Santa Marta Door, under the Monument to Alexander VII, to the outside (South) of the Basilica. They enter the grottoes through the door normally used as the grottoes' exit.

Burial typically is in a crypt below the basilica. All popes who have died in the 20th and 21st centuries have been interred in St. Peter's Basilica. The decision lies in the dead pope’s will or in the absence of instructions, the college of cardinals. 

The Rite of Interment is then carried out by the Camerlengo witnessed only by the highest-ranking members of the College of Cardinals and selected vatican officials in a private service.

The cypress casket is sealed and tied with three red silk ribbons. The cypress casket is then lowered into a larger solid zinc (traditionally lead) casket, which is soldered shut. This coffin was adorned with three bronze plaques: a simple cross at the head of the coffin, a middle plaque with the Pope's name and the length of his life and pontificate, and a third with Pope John Paul II's personal coat of arms at the foot. The zinc casket is finally lowered into a larger walnut (traditionally elm) casket, bearing three identical plaques, which is shut with nails of pure gold.