Certain rites and rituals follow the death of a Pope, including tapping his forehead with a silver hammer. It is the camerlengo’s duty to perform the rite, administering three gentle taps on the pope’s forehead and calling him by his first name. It’s the traditional way of making sure a pope has died.
Another ritual sees the destruction of a papal symbol, known as the Anulus Piscatoris or piscatory ring. The ring represents the first pope, St Peter, who was a fisherman. Usually, the remnants of the destroyed ring are used to make a new one for a late pope’s successor. When the late Pope Francis assumed the papacy in 2013, he opted for a ring made of gilded silver rather than the traditional ring of yellow gold.
This rite includes certain steps leading up to the ring’s being destroyed. The ring is inspected to make sure it’s authentic, the camerlengo than scratches a cross onto it and it is then broken on a block of lead with a mallet.
The destruction symbolises the end of a pope’s rule, with the creation of a new ring representing a new pope assuming the papacy.
Traditionally, the Camerlengo places the new ring on the finger of the new pope’s right hand.
Pope Francis died on Easter Monday at the age of 88 after suffering a stroke, which put him in a coma and led his heart to fail.
He had been recovering in his apartment after being hospitalised for five weeks with pneumonia. He made his last public appearance on Easter Sunday, delivering an Easter blessing and making what would be his final greeting to followers from his pope-mobile, which was driven around St Peter’s Square.
In his will, Francis confirmed he would be buried at St Mary Major Basilica, which is outside the Vatican and home to his favourite icon of the Virgin Mary.
Before and after every foreign trip, Francis would go to the basilica to pray before the Byzantine-style painting, which features an image of Mary draped in a blue robe holding the infant Jesus.
Francis stopped at the basilica on his way home from the Gemelli hospital on March 23, after his 38-day hospital stay, to deliver flowers to be placed before the icon. He returned on April 12 to pray before the Madonna for what was the last time.
Cardinals on Tuesday (April 22) took their first decisions after the pope’s death, setting Saturday as the date for his funeral.
They also decided that Catholic faithful can begin paying their final respects from Wednesday, when Francis’s casket is brought into St Peter’s Basilica.
The cardinals met for the first time on Tuesday in the Vatican’s synod hall to plan the next steps before the start of a conclave to choose Francis’ successor.
They set the funeral for Saturday at 10am local time (9am BST) in St Peter’s Square. It will be led by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re.
