What Happens When The Pope Dies Inside Vatican City?

When Pope Francis passes away, the Vatican springs into action with a precise and time-honored protocol designed to maintain order amid a moment of profound loss.

First, the pope’s death must be officially confirmed.

While centuries ago this involved a cardinal tapping the pontiff’s head three times with a silver hammer and calling his baptismal name, modern times have replaced this with scientific verification, such as electrocardiograms.

For Pope Francis, Cardinal Farrell confirmed his death by calling his baptismal name without response and then declared him deceased.

Once confirmed, the pope’s body is prepared for public viewing.

Unlike past popes whose bodies rested on an elevated bier, Francis chose a modest wooden coffin lined with zinc, reflecting his humility.

This coffin is displayed in St. Peter’s Basilica for three days, during which the Swiss Guards stand vigil, clad in their traditional armor, honoring a centuries-old tradition of protecting the pope even in death.

Simultaneously, the Camerlengo, the cardinal responsible for managing the Vatican’s temporal affairs during the sede vacante (the period between popes), begins securing the pope’s property.

This includes the destruction of the Fisherman’s Ring—a symbol of papal authority used to seal official documents—to prevent forgery.

Other possessions are archived, donated, or occasionally passed to the pope’s heirs.

After the public mourning, the pope’s body is transported to its final resting place.

While most popes are interred in the Vatican’s crypt beneath St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis chose to be buried at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, one of Rome’s major papal churches and a site with historical precedent but rare for modern popes.

Following the burial, the College of Cardinals prepares to elect a new pope.

This conclave is a secretive and tightly controlled process, designed to prevent outside influence.

Cardinals are sequestered, communications are cut off using Faraday cages and signal jammers, and they are limited to one meal per day if the voting continues beyond three days—a rule dating back to 13th-century reforms aimed at expediting decisions.

The voting proceeds in rounds, with black smoke signaling no decision and white smoke announcing the election of a new pope.

Once a candidate accepts the papacy and chooses a papal name, the white smoke billows from the Sistine Chapel chimney, and the senior Cardinal Deacon announces “Habemus Papam” (“We have a pope”) from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.

The new pope then appears to greet the public, marking the beginning of his pontificate.

While past papal coronations were grand and elaborate, recent popes, including Francis, have opted for more modest inaugurations, reflecting a shift toward simplicity and accessibility in the modern Church.