What Happens After A Pope Dies? We Break It Down For You
Who will succeed the Pope and how will he be chosen?
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Pope Francis of the Catholic Church has passed away at the age of 88 on 21 April
His death marks the end of a historic era — and now, all eyes are on the Vatican as the world waits to find out: Who will be the next Pope?
Here's a simple breakdown of what happens next, how a new Pope is chosen, and who the top contenders are.
What does the Pope actually do? The Pope isn't just a religious figurehead — he's the spiritual leader of about 1.4 billion Roman Catholics worldwide.
Catholics believe the Pope is the successor to St Peter, who was one of Jesus' closest disciples. That gives the Pope a huge amount of influence over the Church's teachings and traditions.
While Catholics often turn to the Bible, the Pope's teachings help guide how the Church handles modern-day issues.
So… What happens when the Pope dies?
In the past, papal funerals were grand and elaborate, but Pope Francis wanted to keep things simple. He chose a plain wooden coffin (lined with zinc) and skipped the usual public display of the body on a raised platform.
He will also be the first Pope in over 100 years to be buried outside the Vatican, at the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome.
Who picks the new Pope?
That's the job of the College of Cardinals — a group of senior Catholic officials from all over the world.
While there are more than 240 cardinals in total, only those under the age of 80 are allowed to vote in the election (called a conclave). Right now, that means 138 cardinals are eligible to take part.
According to the BBC, the conclave is a super-secret election process held inside the Sistine Chapel (yes, the one with the famous ceiling painted by Michelangelo).
The cardinals stay completely shut off from the outside world while they vote — sometimes for days. To get chosen, a candidate needs a two-thirds majority.
They vote using paper ballots, which are burned after each round
A chemical brew is added to the furnace to determine the colour of the resulting smoke. Black smoke means no decision yet. White smoke? That means we have a new Pope!
After which, the new Pope appears on the balcony of St Peter's Basilica, and the world hears the announcement: "Habemus Papam!" (Latin for "We have a Pope!")
Who can actually become the Pope?
Technically, any baptised Roman Catholic man can be elected Pope — but in reality, it's almost always a cardinal.
Out of the 266 Popes in history, 217 have been Italian.
But times are changing, and Pope Francis himself broke tradition by becoming the first South American Pope.
Who's in the running?
Al Jazeera reported that it's still too early to say for sure, but there are a few names being talked about:
- Cardinal Peter Turkson from Ghana – a strong voice for peace and justice, and a long-serving Vatican official.
- Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo from Congo – another African candidate, known for his conservative views and focus on peace.
- Cardinal Luis Tagle from the Philippines – seen as a "Francis-style" pick who cares deeply about the poor and social issues.
- Cardinal Peter Erdo from Hungary – a traditionalist who's big on connecting with the Orthodox Church.
- Cardinal Pietro Parolin from Italy – the Vatican's Secretary of State, basically the Pope's top diplomat and a well-connected insider.
- Cardinal Matteo Zuppi (Italy) and Cardinal Mario Grech (Malta) are also names to watch.
What happens in the meantime?
Until the new Pope is elected, the Vatican enters a period called sede vacante — Latin for "the seat is vacant."
During this time, a cardinal known as the Camerlengo steps in to handle basic administration (but can't make any major decisions about doctrine or policy).
Right now, that's Cardinal Kevin Farrell, an Irish-born official who also heads the Vatican's top court.