Rising majestically above the Vatican surrounded by architectural masterpieces St Peter's Basilica is a testament to centuries of faith and devotion this Monumental structure is the largest Catholic Church in the world steeped in history not only as a sacred place for the followers of Catholicism but also as the spiritual home of their leader the pope of Rome over the centuries popes have ruled the Roman Catholic Church in the west bearing titles such as Vicor of the prince of the Apostles or more simply Vicor of Christ the Pope's role is extremely sacred in the eyes of the
Catholic faith as he is seen as the mediator between man and God at least until the supposed return of Jesus of course unlike Christ the pope will not be resurrected after he dies today the current head of the Holy sea is Pope Francis who assumed that role in 2013 in more than a decade as Bishop of Rome he faced a host of health problems remaining suceptible to lung infections due to a bout of puracy in his childhood recently the pope has had two very serious episodes of acute respiratory failure which have raised quite serious concerns
about his deteriorating health because of his Advanced age concerns about his health continue to Echo throughout the world many suspect that his life may soon be over and in his most recent crisis he himself warned that he was not sure if he will make it this time this has raised the question in many Minds what will happen when the pope leaves the Earthly realm in the next few minutes we will answer that very question built during the reign of emperor Constantine in the 4th Century St Peter's Basilica has been a Silent Witness to the death
of many popes the death of such an important figure followed a strict protocol that governed the entire process until his successor was elected it all begins with the notification of the Vatican chief administrative officer the Cardinal camareno this post is one of the most crucial in the Vatican and is held by a cardinal directly appointed by the pope historically the role of the Chamberlain has evolved over the centuries evolving from a financial administrator to a person who plays a significant role in the succession line of Catholic pontiffs the position is currently held by irish-born Kevin
Farrell once notified of the Pope's death he will begin taking the necessary steps including vetting the deceased this is done through a traditional ritual in which the late pope's name is said three times if there is no response after the third call he is declared deceased however this age-old ritual is rather symbolic in the modern era as a team of medical experts will make an official assessment and confirm the death the death certificate is then immediately drawn up and the organization of the funeral ceremony begins which will pave the way for the election of the
new head of the Roman Catholic Church the next step is for Cardinal farell to notify the Cardinal Vicor of the dicese of Rome from here the message will be conveyed to the Catholic public throughout the world which will undoubtedly cause deep sorrow among the faithful who will in turn begin to pay tribute to their spiritual leader the Pope's death triggers a 9-day period of mour known as the noven AL a tradition that dates back to the Roman Empire during this period the Pope's body is prepared for public veneration in in St Peter's Basilica he will
be dressed in full papal vestments as tradition dictates it is an interesting fact that in the past popes were embalmed at the same time the papal ring a seal known as the fisherman's ring which is used to authenticate all official documents of the Holy sea will be removed from the hand of the late Pope and destroyed this act has a double meaning symbolically ending his power but also preventing possible abuse by forging documents in his absence the Pope's private Chambers are then sealed and the Vatican enters a special period known as the SED vacante literally
the throne is vacant during this period the church has no supreme leader and its governance temporarily passes into the hands of the College of cardinals they will be in charge of the day-to-day Affairs of the Vatican and prepare for the conclave that will elect the next Pope historically when the church prepared to lay the late Pope in his final home his body was traditionally embalmed and his internal organs removed before burial a church near the Trevy fountain in Rome even holds the hearts of more than 20 popes kept as sacred relics however these practices began
to disappear in recent centuries in keeping with his Devotion to Simplicity Pope Francis approved more modest funeral rights dispensing with some overly solemn rituals traditionally Popes are buried in the Vatican tombs beneath Saint Peter's Basilica however Pope Francis has also also abandoned that tradition preferring an alternative place for his final resting place in an interview from 2023 he expressed his wish to be buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria major in Rome a place to which he felt a special affection and which is one of the churches he most visited if this wish is granted
he will go down in history as the first pope in a century to be buried outside the Vatican in addition previous Bishops of Rome have been laid to rest in three nested coffins made of Cyprus lead and Oak Pope Francis has simplified this tradition by requesting a wooden coffin with a zinc lining in the weeks following the Pope's funeral the College of cardinals will gather under the exquisitely painted ceilings of the cistin Chapel to begin the process of choosing a new pope this Gathering is traditionally called a conclave a sacramental ritual that has remained almost
unchanged for 7 centuries only Cardinals under the age of 80 are allowed to participate in the election of a new pope the College of cardinals currently numbers 252 Cardinals but only 138 of them meet the voting requirement the election is carried out in secret each Cardinal writes the name of his chosen candidate on a piece of paper and places it in a chalice on the altar the candidate must receive a majority of at least 2/3 to be declared the new pope if no clear winner emerges several rounds of voting are held which can be up
to four per day once the votes are counted they are burned in a special stove in the chapel chemicals are added to them to create a thick black smoke if there is still no Pope elected the moment a candidate wins the required majority white smoke will rise from the Vatican chimney signaling to the world that a new pontiff has been elected the outside world Waits with baited breath to see the white smoke and the Cardinal elect is asked if he accepts the post if so he must choose his papal name which usually pays homage to
a saint or previous Pope he will then Dawn the traditional white cassic and go out onto the balcony of St Peter's Basilica to greet the world the Cardinal who is leading the procession will then solemnly announce habus papam which translated means we have a pope the new pontiff then delivers his first address setting the tone for his leadership of over 1 B 300,000 Catholics around the world the eventual death of Pope Francis will come at a crucial moment for the Roman Catholic Church throughout his tenure as Vicor of Christ he has made many Progressive reforms
moving toward humility and renewal of the church realistically however whoever succeeds him will determine the future of the religion and it all depends on whether they follow in his footsteps or return the church to a more conservative course and so while Pope Francis continues to struggle with his health problems the Catholic world moves on knowing that it is on the threshold of a new era according to Vatican analyst John Allen Jr the election of francis's successor will be one of the most important moments in modern history his reforms transformed the church and the next Pope
will either continue that work or reverse his legacy Cardinal Mato zupi who is considered one of the leading candidates to be the next Pope seems to share francis's Vision in his homoy he said The Church Must Go with the people uniting tradition and change the next chapter must be a chapter of unity where the Roman Catholic world will go remains an open question for now we hope we won't find out soon and we pray that Pope Francis lives in health for many more years because among other things a prophecy says that he may be the
last pope of the Roman Catholic Church the last pope before the end of days according to the prophecy left by St Malaki which foretells the coming of 112 popes by the last judgment the last Pope Peter the Roman will witness the violent trials and destruction of Rome is Pope franc fris the last Pope or have we yet to see Peter the Roman you can find out by watching the video you see to the left [Music]
