Vatican announced Pope Francis’ death on April 21, at the age 88. He held the post since being elected to it in 2013.
His Eminence Cardinal Farrell shared that “with deep sorrow, I have to announce the death our Holy Father Francis”, in a message. statement. “At 7.35 am local time this morning, Francis the Bishop of Rome returned to his Father’s House. He dedicated his entire life to serving the Lord and His church. He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage and universal love, especially in favour of the poorest and most marginalised.”
Farrell said, “With enormous gratitude for his excellent example as a disciple of Jesus, we commend Pope Francis’ soul to the infinite love and mercy of One God.
There will be an avalanche of activity in the Vatican City over the next few weeks. The first thing to do is to lay to rest Pope Francis. According to the BBC he requested a more modest funeral than those performed by his predecessors. He asked for a wood coffin with a lid that could be removed. His funeral service was to be less elaborate than his predecessors, according to the BBC.
It will be the first time since more than a hundred years that a pope will be buried elsewhere.
You can still visit Rome and the Vatican during the next few weeks. The Economic Times Many of the city’s hotels, sites, and restaurants will remain open as will the transport services such as the metro and taxis.
The Conclave will be the official meeting in the Sistine Chapel of 120 cardinals from around the world to elect the next pope.
As well as the Guardian Usually, the cardinals meet for deliberations 15-20 days after the death of the pope. During these deliberations, all doors in the chapel will be closed, and cardinals will swear an oath to secrecy. They will not have any contact with anyone outside the church during the process.
The ballots are then burned and either white or black smoke is released from the chimney. Black smoke indicates an inconclusive result, while white smoke indicates that a new Pope has been selected. In 1922 it took 5 days to complete the process, so visitors will not be allowed into the chapel for this duration.
Nevertheless, the Vatican remains open for travelers and religious pilgrims to pay their respects. Travelers can expect to wait longer, undergo longer security checks, as well as see more crowds. You can also expect that some areas of the Vatican will be closed off for preparations.
Check with your tour operator if your Vatican tour is still scheduled or if you can schedule it for a future date.
