The Pope has been bid farewell on his final journey! Here are the events that took place during the ceremony and what to expect in the upcoming process.

26.04.2025 16:31

A funeral ceremony was held in the Vatican for Pope Francis, the spiritual leader of Catholics and the Head of State of the Vatican. Thousands of people attended the ceremony, which was also attended by world leaders. Now, all eyes are on the new Pope who will be elected. To prevent the cardinal electors from being influenced during the election process, their communication with the outside world will be cut off. The duration of the voting process remains uncertain; here are all the details...

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Pope Francis, the 266th leader of the Catholic Church, who had been struggling with respiratory health issues for some time and passed away on April 21, was bid farewell on his final journey with a ceremony held in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican.

The funeral ceremony of the Pope was presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, with the attendance of more than 200 cardinals and over 700 bishops and priests belonging to the Catholic Church. In his speech at the ceremony, Cardinal Re said, "He became a Pope among the people."

CEREMONY GATHERING WORLD LEADERS

Representing Turkey, the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly, Numan Kurtulmuş, attended Pope Francis's funeral. The ceremony was also attended by numerous leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian President Sergio Mattarella, German President Frank Walter Steinmeier, Argentine President Javier Milei, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, King Felipe VI of Spain, Prince William of the British Royal Family, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Palestinian Prime Minister Mustafa Muhammad, President of the European Council Antonio Costa, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola, and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

200,000 PEOPLE ATTENDED THE CEREMONY

Extensive security measures were taken in the Vatican and Rome due to the funeral ceremony. In Rome, where 4,000 security personnel were on duty, the airspace was closed to flight traffic during the funeral. Security and emergency exit corridors were established on the roads leading to the square. The Vatican Press Office reported that 200,000 people attended Pope Francis's funeral.

HIS GRAVE WILL BE OPENED FOR VISITATION ON SUNDAY

Pope Francis's body will be buried in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome, one of the four major papal basilicas, as per his will, rather than in the Vatican. It was stated that after the burial process at the Basilica of St. Mary Major is completed, the grave will be opened for public visitation on Sunday.

TIME FOR THE PAPAL ELECTION (CONCLAVE)

During the sede vacante period, which means the papal seat is vacant, the administrative affairs of the Vatican will be managed by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Camerlengo (head chamberlain) from the United States. The most senior cardinal, Dean Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, will call all the cardinals from around the world to Rome for the election of the new pope (conclave).

Unless there is an exceptional situation, the conclave, which has inspired novels and films with its rituals, mysterious atmosphere, and intrigues, will begin within 15-20 days after entering the sede vacante period. The term conclave comes from the Latin words cum and clave, meaning locked with a key. The election of the pope is indeed conducted by locking the electing cardinals in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican with a key.

SELECTING CARDINALS' COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD WILL BE CUT OFF

During the conclave, extraordinary security measures and precautions to prevent communication with the outside world will be taken at Casa Santa Marta. The communications of the electing cardinals will be cut off during the election process to prevent them from being influenced by the outside world.

THE LONGEST PAPAL ELECTION IN HISTORY LASTED 1006 DAYS

After the electing cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel accompanied by prayers and hymns, the liturgical director will announce in Latin "extra omnes" (everyone out). From this moment on, the cardinals will be locked in the Sistine Chapel and will begin voting. The shortest conclave in the last century was the 1939 election, which ended with three votes in two days. The longest was in 1958, which lasted four days with 11 votes. The longest papal election in history was the one that lasted 1006 days and concluded in 1271.

TWO-THIRDS VOTE IS REQUIRED

In the conclave, cardinals under the age of 80 will vote. The number of cardinals currently eligible to vote is at a record high of 136. A two-thirds majority of the electing cardinals is required for the papal election. However, if no pope has been elected after the first 34 votes, a vote will be held between the two candidates with the most votes in the final round.

NO REQUIREMENTS OTHER THAN BEING A SINGLE MALE AND CATHOLIC

There are no official candidates in the papal election.

Although there are no other requirements to be elected pope besides being a single male and Catholic, popes are traditionally chosen from among the cardinals participating in the election. An example outside of this tradition was when, due to the inability to elect a pope for nearly two years in the 13th century, the cardinals declared the monk Pietro da Morrone, at the level of a priest, as pope. This pope, who took the name Celestine V, was also notable for resigning a few months later.

BLACK SMOKE-WHITE SMOKE RITUAL

The last conclave in 2013 began with the announcement "extra omnes" at 17:33 on March 12, and the first black smoke was seen the same day at 19:41. On March 13, at 19:06, the appearance of white smoke indicated that a new pope had been elected. The black smoke-white smoke ritual is the first sign showing whether a new pope has been elected to those waiting in St. Peter's Square in Vatican or in front of their screens. The appearance of black smoke from the chimney means that the necessary majority has not been achieved, while white smoke indicates that a new pope has been elected.

The appearance of white smoke from the chimney means that the electing cardinals have reached the necessary majority for a candidate and that this candidate has accepted the papal office. Immediately afterward, the new pope is asked what name he would like to use in this position.

NEW POPE WILL BE PRESENTED TO THE PUBLIC AFTER THE OATH OF ALLEGIANCE AND PRAYER

Then, the new pope is taken to a room containing three different sizes of white papal garments and dressed. This room is also referred to as the "crying room" due to the emotional weight created by the significance of the papal garments. After the oath of allegiance and prayer from the cardinals, the new pope is presented to the public from the balcony of the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica. The identity of the new pope is announced with "Habemus Papam" (we have a pope). And the new pope, who will spiritually lead 1.3 billion Catholics, addresses the crowd with his first "Urbi et orbi" (to the city and the world) speech from the balcony.

SOURCE: AA, BBC