The legacy of Pope Francis and how the next pope will be chosen

Now that the head of the Catholic Church Pope Francis has passed away, a centuries old series of events has been set in motion to honour the late pontiff’s* life and legacy before the next pope is chosen to lead the more than one billion Catholics residing across the globe.

REMEMBERING POPE FRANCIS
Pope Francis will be remembered as a pontiff of many firsts. He was the first Jesuit* pope and, as an Argentinian, the first non-European pope. Francis was also the first pope to claim a nightclub bouncer job in his youth, which he used to “guide the disillusioned* to the church”.

But he was also known for his progressive* views and spoke out on issues like poverty, refugees and climate change.

HOW DID HE DIE?
Pope Francis died of a stroke and heart failure on Monday at 7.35am local time (3.35pm Monday AEST) less than 24 hours after his last public appearance on Easter Sunday.

The director of the health and hygiene directorate at Vatican City, Professor Andrea Arcangeli, also said Francis had suffered many health issues including acute respiratory failure*, double pneumonia, multiple bronchiectasis*, arterial hypertension* and he also had type II diabetes.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN NOW?
With Pope Francis known for his humility and dislike of pomp and circumstance, his funeral is likely to be different to those held for previous popes.

The Argentinian pontiff, who died at the age of 88 on Monday morning local time following months of ill health, had made changes to his funeral wishes last year.

Typically, papal* funerals are held four to six days after the death in St. Peter’s Square, but Francis had said that, unlike his predecessors*, he would not be laid to rest in the crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica. Instead, he chose to be buried in Rome’s St. Mary Major Basilica*.

He also chose a simple wooden casket, a far cry from his predecessors who were laid to rest in three interlocking caskets made of cypress, lead and oak.

Vatican camerlengo* Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell has overseen the process of Francis’ body being laid in a coffin, in the Chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae. This process involves the removal of the Pope’s ring and the destruction of the ring and papal seal*.

The coffin will be moved into St Peter’s Basilica later this week, with the Vatican confirming this will likely occur on Wednesday local time (Thursday AEST).

The Pope’s body will lie there in state for three days before his funeral.

While a date has not yet been set, given the timeline set in motion, it is expected the funeral could occur on the weekend, attracting leaders from across the globe.

The Pope must be laid to rest four to six days after his death.

HOW IS THE NEXT POPE CHOSEN?
The conclave* to elect a new pope by secret ballot begins in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel* between 15 and 20 days after the Pope’s death.

As soon as the Pope’s death is announced, the interregnum period* between rulers begins, Cardinals* from across the globe must come to gather in Rome to choose their next leader.

During this period, cardinals meet in general congregations* at the Vatican.

Though technically any baptised Catholic man is eligible, cardinals traditionally choose a member of their own ranks.

The election of popes dates back earlier than the 6th century, with the rules of a conclave developing more formally from the 13th century.

The conclave takes place under strict secrecy and is supervised by the camerlengo, with cardinals staying in the Vatican Palace and meeting each morning. They are forbidden access to news media or external communications to prevent interference.

The Sistine Chapel is checked for hidden cameras and microphones, and all newspapers and radios are removed.

Voting takes place in rounds, with four ballots held daily until a two-thirds majority is reached by a single cardinal. Each cardinal votes by writing the name of their choice on a piece of paper and placing it in a chalice* below Michelangelo’s The Last Judgement*.

After each round of votes is counted, ballot papers are burned inside the Sistine Chapel. Plumes of black smoke tell Vatican City onlookers the new pope hasn’t yet been chosen.

A conclave lasts until a new pope is elected. The election of Pope Gregory X in 1271 took three years to decide, but no conclave since the 20th century has taken more than five days.

If a decision can’t be reached, cardinals can choose to hold an election between the two leading candidates.

When the final vote is held and a cardinal receives a two-thirds majority, the ballots are instead burned with a chemical to send up white smoke.

The new pope then accepts his election and chooses his papal name. Usually within an hour, he emerges in his robes on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica and is announced to the world in Latin: “Habemus papal” (“we have a pope”).

POLL

GLOSSARY

• pontiff: pope
• Jesuit: a religious order formed within the catholic church founded by St Ignatius of Loyola noted for its missionary and charitable works
• disillusioned: disappointed and unhappy
• progressive: someone who promotes social reform
• respiratory failure: when your lungs don’t work properly anymore and you can’t get enough oxygen
• bronchiectasis: when the airways widen and become damaged
• arterial hypertension: high blood pressure
• papal: relating to the pope
• predecessors: the popes before Pope Francis
• St. Peter’s Basilica: considered one of the holiest Catholic shrines and the burial site of Saint Peter, one of Jesus’s apostles and the first pope
• St. Mary Major Basilica: one of Rome’s four papal basilicas, the St. Mary Major Basilica was built in honour of the Virgin Mary 16 centuries ago and houses the relics of Saint Matthew and Saint Jerome as well as the relic of “the Holy crib” where baby Jesus is said to have slept
• camerlengo: a cardinal who performs special functions in the transition from one pope to another pope, including verifying the outgoing pope’s death
• papal seal: a coat of arms that represents the pope
• conclave: a private and secret meeting
• Sistine Chapel: a chapel in the pope’s official residence in Vatican City, featuring famous artworks on its ceiling by Michelangelo
• interregnum period: a pause between two offices or governments
• Cardinals: leaders of the Roman Catholic Church that form the Sacred College that elects popes
• congregations: groups of people meeting for religious worship
• chalice: a large goblet
• The Last Judgement: a famous painting that depicts the second coming of Christ and the final judgement of God

EXTRA READING
Pope asks us to help the poor
Why we mark Anzac Day each year
New $5 bill breaks British tradition

QUICK QUIZ
1. What were some of the ways in which Pope Francis was the first of his kind as a pontiff?
2. How many catholic people are there in the world?
3. Where will Pope Francis be buried?
4. How is this different from previous popes?
5. What colour smoke rises from the Sistine Chapel when a new pope has been decided?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Papal vote
How does the voting system for a new Pope compare to that of Australia’s current election process of voting for a prime minister?

Note the similarities and differences  below;

PRIME MINISTER VERSUS POPE ELECTIONS

SIMILARITIES:

DIFFERENCES:

Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Civics and citizenship, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative thinking

2. Extension
Write a job description for the new pope and all the responsibilities you think they should have. Include personality traits as well as job-specific items.

Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
A letter to the next pope
Imagine you are a child living in Rome, and you’ve just heard that a new pope has been chosen after Pope Francis passed away. Write a letter to the new pope!

As you write, try to include at least three different connectives to link your ideas and make your writing flow.

Some connectives you might use: because, so, while, although, even though, after that, however

Sentence starters to help you

• My name is ___ and I live in ___.
• I was sad to hear about Pope Francis because …
• He will be remembered for …
• I hope you will …
• Although you are new, I believe …
• I wonder if you …

Don’t forget to re-read and edit your writing to make sure it is clear and makes sense.
Can you edit and uplevel the piece to use other VCOP elements to make it even better?