The century old process will soon begin again.
This morning, the Vatican announced the death of Pope Francis.
The 88-year-old spent 12 years as the spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
Now, following his death, the century old process of electing a new pope will begin.
What does being the Pope entail?
Well, to put it simply, the Pope is the head of the Catholic Church.
The Pope lives in Vatican City and does not receive a salary, however, the Vatican cover all his travel costs and living expenses.
Catholics believe the Pope represents a direct line to Jesus Christ, and he is considered the successor to St Peter, the chief disciple.
Many Catholics consult the Bible for guidance, however, they can also turn to the teachings of the Pope.
What happens when the Pope dies?
While a papal funeral is traditionally an extravagant affair, Pope Francis recently made plans to bring the entire thing down a few notches.
Additionally, he has scrapped the tradition of placing the Pope’s body on a raised platform for public viewing.
Instead, mourners will pay their respects while his body remains inside a coffin, lid removed.
Francis will also be the first Pope in over 100 years to be buried outside the Vatican.
He will be laid to rest in one of Romes four major papal basilicas, Basilica of St Mary Major.
How is the next Pope chosen?
The College of Cardinals, the Catholic Church’s most senior officials, are appointed by the Pope and they choose his successor.
When the Pope dies, the cardinals meet in Vatican City, and the conclave (election) follows.
The church is governed by the College of Cardinals in the time between the Pope’s death and the conclave.
The election is held in strict privacy and secrecy in the Sistine Chapel, which was painted by Michelangelo.
Individual cardinals vote for their favoured candidate until a winner is determined.
The process can take up to several days, and the only clue about how the election is going is the colour of the smoke that emerges twice a day from the burning of the cardinals’ ballot papers.
Black signals failure, while white smoke means the new Pope has been elected.
Typically, within an hour of choosing the new Pope, he will appear on a balcony overlooking St Peter’s Square.
The senior cardinal will then announce the decision with the words ‘Habemus Papam’ – Latin for ‘we have a Pope’.
Who can become the next Pope?
Technically, any Roman Catholic man who has been baptised can be considered to become Pope.
However, traditionally the cardinals prefer to select one of their own.
When elected in 2013, Pope Francis became the first pontiff from South America, but historically, cardinals are more likely to pick a European, especially an Italian.
217 of the 266 popes to date have been Italian.
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