Category: News

…Consoles the Catholic faithful

Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has joined the rest of the world in mourning the Catholic Pontiff and sovereign of the Vatican City, Pope Francis.

Mbah described the late Pontiff as a man full of humanity, a reformer, and humble leader.

In a statement he personally signed on Monday, the governor also described the Pope’s demise as a heavy loss, not only to the Catholic Church, but equally to the entire world.

“His Holiness, Pope Francis, was full of humanity and lived as an epitome of meekness. A highly spiritual Pontiff, he chose a modest life over the glamour and privileges intrinsic in the papacy.

“The first Jesuit Pope championed a number of liberal reforms, including the review of the Vatican constitution that accorded the lay Catholic and women a foothold on the central administration of the Mother Church

“Importantly, His Holiness will be remembered for the promotion of global peace, one of his most outstanding legacies being the ‘Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together,’ which he co-signed with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, on February 4, 2019.

“Therefore, I am of the strong belief that a peaceful resolution of the raging conflicts around the world will stand as the greatest monument in honour of the Holy Father.

“On behalf of the Government and good people of Enugu State, l join the over 1.4 billion members of the Catholic Church across the world to mourn His Holiness and pray for the peaceful repose of his kind soul.”

Pope Francis has died at the age of 88, after 12 years as spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

His death has triggered a mourning period which involves centuries-old rites.

It has also set into motion the process for electing a new pontiff. A conclave can be expected to be held between 15 and 20 days after Francis’s death.

This is what we can expect now.

What happens immediately after the Pope dies?

The official duties are carried out by the Pope’s camerlengo or chamberlain, currently Irish-American Cardinal Kevin Farrell.

He is the one who officially confirms the death, with a doctor and death certificate. No autopsy is performed.

The Vatican said on Easter Monday, hours after announcing his death, that Francis’s body would be laid in a coffin in a chapel at his Saint Martha residence at 20:00 local time (18:00 GMT). Farrell would preside over those rites, the Vatican said.

It will also fall upon the camerlengo to lock and seal the Pope’s personal residence.

Francis had not taken up apartments in the grand Apostolic Palace but smaller quarters in the form of a suite in the Vatican’s Saint Martha guesthouse.

Farrell also has the responsibility to destroy the Pope’s ring and lead seal, which is used to authenticate official documents, so they cannot be used by anyone else.

He and a team of three assisting cardinals will then set out the mourning schedule for Pope Francis – including the date of the funeral and burial.

The period of mourning rites typically lasts nine days, and church rules say those events should begin between the fourth and sixth day after the Pope’s death.

Farrell and his team will also decide when the Pope’s body will be moved into St Peter’s Basilica before burial so the public can pay their respects. On Monday afternoon, the Vatican said this transfer could happen as early as Wednesday morning but that cardinals would decide on Tuesday.

What can we expect of the funeral?

Pope Francis shunned much of the Church’s pomp and ceremony – so in keeping with that style he requested his body not be put on a raised platform, the traditional catafalque, in the middle of St Peter’s Basilica for public viewing.

Instead the faithful coming to mourn will simply be able to look upon his body inside his coffin which will have the lid removed.

His funeral, according to Church custom, should typically be held within four to six days after his death, with the funeral mass taking place in St Peter’s Square.

Papal funerals have traditionally been elaborate affairs, but Pope Francis acted last year to simplify his arrangements.

He will be the first Pope in more than a century not to be buried in the Vatican, in the crypt of St Peter’s Basilica – opting instead to be laid to rest in Rome’s Basilica of St Mary Major, near his favourite icon of the Madonna.

Francis also requested to be buried in a simple wooden casket – unlike his predecessors who were buried in the traditional three nesting coffins made of cypress, lead and oak.

How is a new Pope chosen?

Pope Francis’s death sets into motion the political process for the Church to select a new leader.

Cardinals from around the world will descend on the Vatican for the election, known as a conclave.

Traditionally, the 15-day mourning period is observed before the conclave begins. However Francis’s predecessor Benedict changed the rules in 2013 to allow it to begin earlier if the cardinals wished. The vote typically takes place 15-20 days after the Pope’s death.

The new Pope is voted on by the College of Cardinals – a group of the Church’s most senior officials, who are all men, all appointed by the Pope and who are usually all ordained bishops.

There are currently 252 Catholic cardinals, but only 135 are eligible to cast ballots as those over the age of 80 can take part in debate but cannot vote.

Meanwhile, between the Pope’s death and the election of his successor, the College of Cardinals governs the Church.

They run the day-to-day business of the church but have limited power as much of the Church’s central administration stops work and typically, Vatican department heads resign from their positions until they are confirmed or replaced by the new Pope.

How does the conclave run?

The voting cardinals are locked into a period of pontiff selection where they are cut off from communication with the outside world – denied phones, the internet and newspapers – while in discussions and lobbying among themselves to decide the Church’s new leader.

The conclave, or election, is held in strict secrecy inside the Sistine Chapel, famously painted by Michelangelo.

A majority of two thirds plus one of the gathering is needed to agree on a new Pope, so multiple rounds of voting are often needed to get a result. After the first day, a secret ballot takes place twice a day and the process can often stretch to several days.

In previous centuries, voting has gone on for weeks or months. Some cardinals have even died during conclaves.

To the outside world, the only clue as to how it is progressing is the smoke that emerges from the chapel’s chimney, the product of the cardinals’ ballot papers being burned.

Black smoke signals failure. White smoke means a new Pope has been chosen.

How is the decision about the new Pope made public?

After the white smoke goes up, the new Pope normally appears within an hour on the balcony overlooking St Peter’s Square.

The senior cardinal participating in the conclave will announce the decision with the words “Habemus Papam” – Latin for “we have a Pope”.

He will then introduce the new Pope by his chosen papal name, which may or may not be his original given name.

For example, Pope Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, but he chose a different name for his papacy in honour of St Francis of Assisi.

Who can become the Pope?

In theory, any Roman Catholic man who has been baptised can be considered for election to become Pope.

In practice, however, the cardinals prefer to select one of their own.

In 2013, the Argentine-born Francis became the first pontiff to hail from South America – a region that accounts for around 28% of the world’s Catholics – and the southern hemisphere.

Historical precedent suggests the cardinals are far more likely to pick a European – and especially an Italian. Of the 266 popes chosen to date, 217 have been from Italy.

Several Vatican analysts have suggested it is possible Francis’s successor could come from outside Europe – not least because the late Pope appointed more than 140 cardinals from beyond the continent during his tenure.

What does the Pope do?

The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church. Roman Catholics believe he represents a direct line back to Jesus Christ. He is considered a living successor to St Peter, who was chief among Christ’s initial disciples, the Apostles.

That gives him full and unhindered power over the entire Catholic Church and makes him an important source of authority for the world’s roughly 1.4 billion Catholics.

While many Catholics often consult the Bible for guidance, they can also turn to the teachings of the Pope, which govern the Church’s beliefs and practices.

About half of all Christians worldwide are Roman Catholics. Other denominations, including Protestants and Orthodox Christians, do not recognise the Pope’s authority.

The Pope lives in Vatican City, the smallest independent state in the world. It is surrounded by the Italian capital, Rome.

The Pope does not receive a salary, but all his travel costs and living expenses are paid for by the Vatican. BBC