Papal Conclave
Please see resources and information concerning the Papal Conclave set to begin on May 7. Here you will find Frequently Asked Questions and Answers, explainers, a live feed of the Vatican and much more.
Also find on the Catholic Review site the latest news concerning the election of our next Pope.
This article “Conclave explained for kids” is particularly helpful.
Real-Time Information
Apostolica Sedes Vacans
| April 21 |
The Pope’s body was vested, laid in a simple wooden coffin, and taken to the chapel at Sancta Marthae Chapel. A Liturgy of the Word was led by Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, Camerlengo [Chamberlain] of the Vatican. |
| April 23 |
Cardinal Farrell will lead the procession from Sancta Marthae Chapel, to Saint Peter’s Square, to St. Peter’s Basilica. Public viewing will begin at 9:00 AM Vatican Time (that is 3:00 AM Eastern). |
| April 25 |
A late night prayer service and closing of the coffin. |
| April 26 |
Funeral Mass for Pope Francis 10:00 AM (4:00 AM Eastern). Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside. |
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At the request of Pope Francis, burial will take place in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (St. Mary Major). The last pope to be buried there was Pope Clement the IX in the seventeenth century. The simple stone will be at ground level and will bear the word “Franciscus”. |
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| April 27 |
A Mass originally scheduled as a Jubilee Mass for Adolescents will become one of eight memorial Masses for the Pope. |
| May 6 – 12 |
To be announced: The Conclave begins 15-21 days after the Pope’s death. |