The funeral of Pope Francis and the papal conclave to follow

I have been inside St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome several times, but never on an occasion like the one for which crowds are gathering this week. As I write, I am watching online as long lines of people walk past Pope Francis’s open wooden coffin and pay their respects to him.

The scene is a remarkable juxtaposition of then and now: the pope’s remains are displayed on the main altar beneath Bernini’s nearly four-hundred-year-old canopy while people shuffle by wearing jeans, hoodies, and backpacks.

What do you need to know about what comes next?

The papal funeral and burial

The pope’s body will remain on display at St. Peter’s until Friday evening, when Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the camerlengo responsible for the pope’s funeral, presides over the rite of the sealing of the coffin.

On Saturday morning at 10 am local time (4 am ET), a funeral mass for the pope will be held. It will be conducted mostly outside in St. Peter’s Square so thousands of people can attend. The liturgy will be presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals.

After the eucharist, final commendation, and valediction, Francis’s coffin will be brought back into the basilica. According to Diego Ravelli, the master of apostolic ceremonies, Francis simplified the rites and ritual so that the funeral would be “that of a pastor and disciple of Christ, and not of a powerful person in this world.”

Nonetheless, at least 170 heads of state or government will attend. They include US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Francis will be the first pope in more than a century to be buried outside the Vatican. While most popes are buried in Vatican City, Francis chose the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, where seven past pontiffs are buried. He gave simple instructions for his burial: “The tomb should be in the ground: simple, without particular ornamentation, bearing only the inscription: Franciscus.”

The camerlengo and the conclave

When Pope Francis died, the duty of administering the Holy See fell to the camerlengo (“chamberlain”). In this case, Cardinal Kevin Farrell is fulfilling these duties. He has assumed control of the pope’s residence and is coordinating the funeral. He has also taken custody of the Vatican’s property in Rome and is supervising details for the upcoming conclave.

Born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1947, Farrell attended university in Spain and in Rome. Among his many duties over the years, he served as bishop of Dallas from 2007 to 2016, when Pope Francis called upon him to serve in the Roman Curia. He joked at a press conference announcing his appointment that Francis “told me that he would like me to go to Rome because Dallas needed a much better Bishop than I am.”

Cardinal Farrell will preside over the Church until a new pope is chosen in conclave, an election that begins fifteen to twenty days after the pope’s death. The election is preceded by general congregations called to discuss the growing challenges facing the Catholic Church; they must be attended by all cardinals who “are not legitimately impeded.”

Of 252 cardinals worldwide, 135 are under the age of 80 and therefore eligible to vote for the next pope. With seventeen, Italy is the country with the most elector cardinals. 

The cardinals will stay in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the same location where Francis chose to live after his election. They begin their work with a mass to ask for spiritual guidance, then proceed to the Sistine Chapel where they take an oath of discretion and close the doors to the public.

How the conclave works

Electors all vote through secret ballots reading in summum pontificem, “I elect as supreme pontiff,” followed by a name. The ballots are folded twice, placed in urns, and counted by three cardinals chosen to be scrutineers by a random drawing from the electors. Votes are then recorded and read aloud to all cardinals present.

One round of voting occurs on the first day. Voting then continues, up to four times a day, until a candidate receives two-thirds of the vote. A long-drawn conclave would be decided by a runoff between the top two candidates (excluding the two candidates from voting) until one receives a two-thirds majority.

The public is notified of the conclave’s progress through smoke signals created by burning the ballots. Black smoke means another round of voting has to take place, while white smoke announces to the world that a new pope has been elected.

Once the conclave elects a pope, the dean of the College of Cardinals asks him if he will accept the title. The candidate is then dressed, chooses his papal name, and walks out to the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. The senior cardinal deacon announces to the crowd assembled below, habermus papam (“We have a pope”) and introduces the Church’s new leader by the title he has selected.

Who will be chosen?

For the first time in history, fewer than half of those given a vote in conclave will be European. Twelve cardinals are widely considered to be frontrunners:

• Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the soft-spoken Vatican secretary of state under Pope Francis. He also heads the Roman Curia, the Church’s central administration and effectively acts as deputy pope. Notably, he has been critical of the legalization of same-sex marriage around the world.
• Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle has been dubbed the “Asian Francis” because of his dedication to social issues and sympathy for migrants.
• Congolese Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu is a cultural conservative and a fierce advocate for the church in the face of jihadist persecution in Africa.
• Ghanian Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson is a guitarist who once played in a funk band and is known for his energetic presence.
• Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo is highly regarded in the Church in Europe and is considered a potential compromise candidate.
• Italian Cardinal Angelo Scola, though his age of eighty-three may make his election less likely.
• German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, who has advocated for a more accommodating approach toward homosexuals and transgender people in Catholic teaching.
• Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, considered a conservative with a modern outlook who has called for a greater role for women in running the Catholic Church.
• American Cardinal Robert Prevost, who is seen as a reformer, but at age sixty-nine might be viewed as too young for the papacy.
• Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah, who is well-liked by conservatives in the Church.
• Italian Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who has served as Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.
• Canadian Cardinal Michael Czerny, who is popular with progressives, though it is considered unlikely that the conclave will choose a second Jesuit in succession.

It is important to note that Pope Francis appointed 108 of the 135 cardinals eligible to vote for the next pope. Since four out of five votes in the conclave will be cast by cardinals elevated by Francis, some believe they could appoint a successor who will follow Francis’ pastoral priorities.

“Tireless growers of dreams”

The division and disunity of the global church are among the primary factors cited by many who refuse to come to Christ in faith. The horrific clergy abuse scandal is another. Accordingly, in response to Pope Francis’ death, I invite you to join me in praying for the Catholic Church in at least four biblical ways:

• For God to guide Cardinal Farrell and his team through this time of grief, transition, and preparation (Proverbs 3:5–6).
• For the Spirit to lead the conclave to the person who should be the next pope and for God to be preparing that person to hear his call and follow his leading (Matthew 4:18–22).
• For Francis’ homegoing to remind the world of our mortality and call us to preparation for eternity today (2 Corinthians 6:2).
• For Christians across the world to respond to this historic event in ways that unite the body of Christ in answer to the prayer of our Lord (John 17:20–23).

Across this week, I have been quoting from Pope Francis’ new book, I Want You to Be Happy: Finding Peace and Abundance in Everyday Life. His writing centers on the joy to be found in Jesus and the optimism we should feel as we follow our Lord into the future together.

In light of his death and all we have discussed in this paper, let’s close with these observations:

• “Sadness can be a valuable alarm, inviting us to explore richer and more fertile landscapes precluded by superficiality and escapism.”
• “God has his most beautiful flowers grow amid the driest rocks.”
• “Let us not cultivate nostalgia, regret, and sorrow. God wants us to be the heirs of a promise; he wants us to be tireless growers of dreams.”

In the midst of your challenges today, what “dreams” does he want you to grow for his glory and our good?