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Pope Francis has died aged 88,

Professor Rebecca Rist, expert on the Papacy, comments below on Pope Francis’s legacy and what comes next following the Pope’s death. 

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Pope Francis I – his Legacy

“Pope Francis has been in office since 2013. He chose the pontifical name ‘Francis’ after the medieval saint and mystic Francis of Assisi (c.1181-1226) who championed the poor and dispossessed. During his time as pope, he has pronounced in a number of encyclicals (papal letters addressed to all the Christian faithful) on a number of controversial issues including communion for some divorced and civilly remarried, the blessing of same-sex couples, restricting the ‘Vetus Ordo’ (Old Latin Mass), provisionally implementing the Vatican-China Secret Accords, promoting a “Synodal Church”, focusing on Climate Change, and endorsing the German “Synodal Way” which was originally held to counter the historical problem of sexual abuse among the clergy. Other controversial issues which have continually re-surfaced during his pontificate include ordaining female deacons (which might or might not set the groundwork for eventually ordaining women priests), making priestly celibacy optional, and the possibility of re-assessing Paul VI’s (1963-1978) encyclical Humanae Vitae which declared the use of artificial contraception as intrinsically wrong. Currently the Catholic Church is experiencing a profound division between those Catholics who favour Francis I’s ‘liberal’ policies and those who wish to return to the much more ‘traditional’ Church of Benedict XVI (2005-13). As the first Jesuit pope from South America, throughout his pontificate Francis has continually stressed the importance of looking after the poor, needy and dispossessed, including refugees and economic migrants.  What the ‘direction of travel’ of the Church after Francis will be remains hotly contested but unknown, and will depend much on who is elected as his successor.”

Forerunners to be the next Pope

“There is great speculation as to who from the College of Cardinals may be the next pope.  The word ‘cardinal’ comes from the Latin word ‘cardo’ meaning ‘hinge’, the idea being that they are those on whom the duty of electing a pope ‘hinges’. The pope may be elected from one of their number, although they may choose to elect someone who is not a cardinal, but is, for example, an archbishop. At present there are 252 cardinals in total, hailing from a wide range of countries including, of course, Italy. They vary greatly in their ideas about the future direction of the Catholic Church, ranging from Cardinal Robert Sarah, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, who represents the ‘traditional’ wing of the Church, to the ‘liberal’ Cardinal Luis Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery of Evangelization. There are currently 12 out of 22 leading cardinals considered in Vatican circles to be ‘papabili’, i.e. serious contenders to be pope because not too old and having the right leadership qualities. However, the traditional saying is that ‘He who enters the Conclave (the meeting at which the cardinals elect the next pope), as Pope, leaves it as a Cardinal.’ Given the growth and vibrancy of Catholicism in developing countries compared to the decline of Christianity in the West, it is unlikely that the next pope will come from the USA and much more likely that he will come from Africa. He may come from Europe, although, since Catholicism is a global religion, there is a desire to ensure that the papacy (based in Vatican City) does not become too Eurocentric. Since Francis I is from Argentina, it is unlikely that there will be a South American pope twice in a row.”

History and significance of the Conclave

“Historically, it has sometimes proved difficult for the cardinals to elect a new pope. When Gregory XII abdicated in 1415 it took two years before they could decide on his successor Martin V. But there are also precedents for swift action. When Pope Celestine V resigned in December 1294, Pope Boniface VIII was immediately elected that same month.”

Process of voting

“A papal Conclave is a meeting of the College of Cardinals to elect the new pope. In the very early days of the Church, the pope was often elected merely by the consensus of the clergy and laity around Rome. During the Medieval period, European kings, emperors and the Roman aristocracy often had too much influence over papal elections, so in 1059 a special body known as the College of Cardinals was deputed to become the sole body for electing the pope. Much more recently, in 1970, it was ruled that cardinals have to be under 80 to have a vote in papal elections. There are three types of cardinals who elect: cardinal bishops, cardinal priests and cardinal deacons. The Conclave is held in secret but the process of voting for a new pope is a relatively straightforward one. Approximately one hundred and twenty cardinals come together in Consistory (an ecclesiastical council) and meet in the Sistine Chapel inside Vatican City to elect a new pope who needs a two-thirds majority plus one to be successful. The Dean of the College of the Cardinals will normally begin the Conclave proceedings. Following tradition, if the cardinals have not yet reached a decision black smoke will issue from a chimney in the Vatican but when they have, the smoke will be white. Italians have often been numerous in the College of Cardinals and sometimes if they were to vote as a block they could probably not elect one of their own but would be very important in making the final decision. However, historically, cardinals have hardly ever voted as a block. The US cardinals are also very influential due to their large numbers but it is highly unlikely any of them will be elected pope. Someone who is a likely candidate is called ‘papabile’ but it is an old saying that the man who goes into the Conclave as pope comes out as a cardinal.”

Installation of the new pope

“Once the new pope has been elected a special mass will be celebrated in the Vatican at which a papal inauguration ceremony will be held. In the medieval period, a papal coronation ceremony was held as well as an inaugural mass, with the pope being crowned with a papal tiara.  One pope to be crowned in this way was Pope Nicholas II (1058-1061) but since the inauguration of Pope John Paul I this has been dropped.

“The modern papal inauguration takes place during the mass, usually in the piazza outside Saint Peter’s Basilica and includes the formal bestowal of the pallium, a special woollen scarf which is placed around the shoulders of the pope as a symbol of his universal jurisdiction over the Church.  The new pope is also given a special ring called the Ring of the Fisherman which signifies that he is the direct successor of St Peter who was both fisherman and disciple.

“Certain senior cardinals who represent the whole College of Cardinals then pay homage to the new pope.  After the mass and the ceremony of inauguration the new pope will be met by heads of state and various delegations from all over the world inside St Peter’s Basilica and in the following days he will visit the other major basilicas and churches around Rome.”