By 
When the world awoke on Monday to the news of Pope Francis’s passing, it didn’t just mark the end of a papacy, it triggered one of the most sacred and secretive rituals in the modern world: the search for his successor.
As bells toll and flags fly at half-mast, the Vatican enters a solemn interregnum called Sede Vacante—Latin for “the seat is vacant.” During this time, all major Vatican officials step down, save for one: the camerlengo. This role, now held by Irish-American Cardinal Kevin Farrell, assumes temporary charge and performs a deeply symbolic duty—declaring the pope’s death, once signified by the tap of a silver hammer and the calling of his baptismal name.
Next comes a ritual of closure. The Fisherman’s Ring, a gold signet symbolizing papal authority, is destroyed in front of the cardinals—no longer to seal documents, but to seal the end of an era.
In the days that follow, cardinals from across the globe begin to gather. While Francis’s body lies in an open casket for the faithful to grieve—a simpler gesture reflecting his vision of humility—the Church prepares for nine days of mourning, known as the novemdiales. This time also allows for quiet vetting of potential successors, the papabili.
Then, in the fresco-covered Sistine Chapel, the conclave begins.
Locked away from the world, 135 cardinal electors—most appointed by Francis himself—cast their votes beneath Michelangelo’s Last Judgment. Twice each morning and twice each afternoon, ballots are burned in a stove. Black smoke: no decision. White smoke: the world has a new pope. The crowd in St. Peter’s Square holds its breath.
When the right name draws a two-thirds majority, the chosen cardinal is led to the Room of Tears—a private space to reflect before stepping into a role that will shape the spiritual lives of 1.3 billion Catholics.
Clothed in papal white, he steps onto the grand balcony. The cardinal deacon appears and proclaims: “Habemus Papam!” The crowd erupts.
A new chapter begins basset-hound.com.ua.
