sign in sign up
<<
Home , Diocese of Rome, Holy See Press Office, Papal household, Sede vacante, Swiss Guard, The Death of a Pope

Frequently Asked Questions about Benedict’s Resignation and the Upcoming Conclave

1. Pope Benedict leaves his Office of Papacy on Thursday. What will Wednesday and Thursday be like for Pope Benedict? Pope Benedict XVI will have his last audience on Wednesday, Feb. 27. This will occur around 10:30 a.m. Vatican time (4:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time). Thousands are expected to be there. He normally holds a papal Audience on Wednesdays when he is in to give pilgrims and visitors the chance to see the head of the Church and receive a blessing. Because such a large crowd is expected – the Vatican says 50,000 tickets have already been requested for the occasion and even more than that is expected – the change was made for him to make his appearance from a window overlooking St. Peter's Square instead.

On Thursday, February 28, at 5 p.m. Vatican time (11 a.m. Eastern Standard Time), Pope Benedict will quietly move to Castel Gandolfo, the summer residence of the Pope which is located just outside of Rome. He is expected to fly by helicopter to Castel Gandolfo. Pope Benedict will stay there until the monastery in which he'll live during his retirement is ready. And at 8 p.m. Vatican time (2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time), the See of Peter will officially become vacant. This is called the .

2. Traditionally, the protects the Pope. Will they do so after the sede vacante? On Thursday, there will also be a highly symbolic moment to signal the end of the Pope’s ministry. The Swiss Guards will be standing at the gates of Castel Gandolfo and at 8:00 p.m. (again 2 p.m. our time), the Swiss Guards will leave their stations. The Pope will then be protected by Vatican police who protect the Vatican gardens and its surroundings.

3. When there is no Pope, there is a name for the transition period from one pope to another. What is that term? It is called the sede vacante, which is and translates to “vacant see,” meaning that the see (or the ) of Rome is without a . The Pope is considered the Bishop of Rome.

There is another term for this transition period which is the , a reference to the days when were also temporal monarchs who reigned over vast territories. This situation has almost always been created by the death of a pope, but it may also be created by resignation.

(FAQ produced by the diocesan Office of Communications) 4. How is the Church governed during sede vacante? At the beginning of the “sede vacante,” the assumes governance of the Church. They will meet regularly during the transition. The Roman which is the administrative and governing body of the Church along with the , loses most cardinal supervisors and cannot act on new matters. The College of Cardinals begins daily meetings at the Vatican to deal with limited Church business and conclave arrangements. Decisions which only the pope can make, such as the appointment of or the convening of the of Bishops, must await the election of a new pontiff.

5. What will the Pope be called after his resignation occurs? Pope Benedict XVI will continue to be known as Benedict XVI and addressed as "," but after his resignation, he will add the "emeritus" in one of two acceptable forms, either Pope Emeritus or Roman Pontiff Emeritus."

6. Will what Pope Benedict wears change after his resignation? After Feb. 28, Pope Benedict will continue to wear a white , but it will be a simplified version of the papal vestment, mainly without the little white piece on the shoulders. As for the red shoes he is known to wear, Pope Benedict will leave those behind. Instead, he will wear brown shoes, beginning with loafers he was given as a gift last March during a visit to Leon, Mexico.

7. Another tradition is that the Pope has what is called a “Fisherman’s Ring” which is not one that he wears. Can you tell us about the ring and what will happen to it on February 28? The Fisherman’s Ring is a signet ring engraved with the image of St. Peter fishing from a boat and encircled with the name of the reigning Pope. It is not worn by the Pope. Rather, it is used to seal important documents. With its destruction, the power of the Pope is symbolically extinguished. It will be destroyed on Thursday when the resignation has taken place. Pope Benedict will go back to wearing an Episcopal ring he wore as a Cardinal.

In what has traditionally been a private ceremony, a small group of cardinals, together with members of the and the , enter the pope's apartments to witness the ring's destruction. After the ring has been inspected by those present, the Camerlengo defaces the ring with a silver knife. After a second inspection, the ring is placed on a lead block and struck with a silver mallet by the Camerlengo until it is destroyed.]

8. After the resignation takes effect, the next step for the is to elect a new Pope. This is done as a Conclave. What is a Conclave? The word "conclave" has two meanings. First, it refers to the physical space where the cardinals meet to carry out the election of . Consistent with the word's Latin origin, cum clave or "with a key," the conclave has traditionally been a locked area to ensure the sequestration of the electors.

The word "conclave" has also come to refer to the meeting of the cardinals at which a new pope is elected.

(FAQ produced by the diocesan Office of Communications) 9. When will the Conclave occur? A date for the Conclave cannot be set until the Pope has left or has deceased in what is called the sede vacante. At first, the director of the ’s Press Office said the Conclave to select the next Bishop of Rome could start between March 15 and 19.

However, just this week Pope Benedict XVI issued new rules for conclaves, including a clause that allows the College of Cardinals to move up the date for the beginning of the conclave to elect his successor. Now they are saying the Conclave could start around March 9th -11th. Still, the cardinals cannot set the date until after the pope leaves office Feb. 28.

Just this week the Vatican Spokesperson said that letter will not be sent out until March 1, to the College of Cardinals, formally informing the world’s Cardinals that the papacy is vacant and calling them to meet at the Vatican. It is possible the world's cardinals will not begin meeting at the Vatican until March 4. Once they meet, they will determine a starting date for the Conclave.

10. Very recently Pope Benedict changed the rules or aspects governing a Conclave. This was done by Pope John Paul II and others. It is not unusual but what did Pope Benedict change? Pope Benedict laid out the new rules in an apostolic letter issued "" (on his own initiative) Feb. 22, the feast of the Chair of St. Peter. The Vatican released the document Feb. 25. The changes affect the rules established in Blessed John Paul II's governing the election of popes, "."

Under the current rules, which remain in effect, upon the vacancy of the papacy, cardinals in Rome "must wait 15 full days for those who are absent" before they can enter into a conclave and begin the process of electing a new pope.

However, Pope Benedict inserted an additional provision that grants the College of Cardinals "the to move up the start of the conclave if all the cardinal-electors are present," as well as giving them the ability "to delay, if there are serious reasons, the beginning of the election for a few more days." However, the conclave still must begin no more than 20 days after the start of the "sede vacante."

11. What is the process to elect a new pope? In the past, 15 to 20 days after a papal vacancy, the cardinals gathered in St. Peter’s for a invoking the guidance of the Holy Spirit in electing a new pope. Only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote in a conclave. They are known as the cardinal electors, and their number is limited to 120. For the conclave itself, the cardinal electors process to the and take an oath of absolute secrecy before sealing the doors.

The Cardinals vote by secret ballot until a candidate receives two-thirds of the vote. Four ballots are taken every day. Inconclusive ballots are burned in a stove near the chapel with a mixture of chemicals to produce black smoke. When a cardinal receives the necessary two-thirds vote, the of the College of Cardinals asks him if he accepts his election. If he accepts, he chooses a name and is dressed in papal vestments before processing out to the balcony of St. Peter’s. The ballots of the final round are burned with chemicals producing white smoke to signal to the world the election of a new pope.

(FAQ produced by the diocesan Office of Communications)