What Happens When The Pope Passes Away?

www.t-online.de

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White smoke, conclave, sedisvacance – the death of a Pope sets in motion a centuries-old process. But what really happens behind the walls of the Vatican?

El Progreso de Lugo

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Among the possible successors are names such as Cardinal Pietro Parolin, current Vatican Secretary of State, and Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, President of the Italian Episcopal Conference

Slate.fr

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Nothing is left to chance with a ritual that oscillates between traditions and the last wishes of the sovereign pontiff.

Malta Daily

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What Happens When The Pope Passes Away?

The papal election is a highly secretive process conducted by the College of Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel. Only cardinals under 80 are eligible to vote. No open campaigning occurs, but Vatican observers speculate on papabili—candidates seen as likely to become pope. Currently, Pope Francis, who has faced increasing health challenges, is in hospital with pneumonia in both lungs. Having already lost part of a lung in his youth, concerns about h…