The death of Pope Francis is a big deal, with news services replaying his Easter Sunday ride around St. Peter’s Square in the ‘popemobile’. There’s also footage of him bestowing an Easter blessing from a balcony overlooking the Square and delivering his final message to Catholics around the world. For many, he was a beloved figure of their faith and someone to be mourned.
Children cannot help but notice all the attention being given to Francis and his passing. Like any other person of power and celebrity, his death is a public spectacle. They see images of thousands of people lining up to view his body. They hear about someone called a ‘camerlengo’ wrapping red ribbon around the doors to the pope’s apartment so no one can enter. Whether they are Catholic or not, they wonder why these things are happening and what it all means.
Here are some questions they may be asking and suggestions for responding that may satisfy their curiosity and encourage respect for diversity.
What is a Pope? ‘Pope’ is a special name given to the Bishop of Rome. It means that person is the leader of the whole Catholic Church. They are elected by other leaders of the church to be a major voice for the tradition’s values and practices. They are expected to be a model of faith and to encourage others to live by the ethical standards of Catholicism.
What is a Cardinal? Cardinals are high-level leaders in the Catholic Church.They are the Pope’s advisors on church matters and help the Pope stay in touch with what is happening in churches far from Rome. One of their jobs is to elect a new Pope from among themselves after a Pope has died or (rarely) resigned.
What is a conclave? A conclave is a gathering of Cardinals in St. Peter’s Basilica to elect a new Pope. It includes representatives from all over the world. Their deliberations are confidential, so people outside of the conclave do not know who is being considered, although often there is speculation in the media. Experts on the Catholic Church say that the 2024 film Conclave accurately depicts the basic elements of the gathering. However, the political intrigue aspects of the movie are mostly fictional. The debates about who should be Pope do include political concerns – like all social processes – but they are only part of the conversation.
How is a new pope chosen? Even before the Cardinals gather for the conclave, they begin talking with one another about the needs of Catholics globally and the kinds of qualities needed in a Pope for these times. They then gather about 15 days after the death of the Pope to begin voting for a candidate from among themselves. Election requires at least a two-thirds majority of votes. The group votes by secret ballot up to four times a day during the conclave. If no one receives enough votes in a round, those ballots are burned. A chemical is added to the fire so that black smoke billows from the chimney of St. Peter’s Basilica, which tells those outside that another round of voting is necessary. When a candidate gets enough votes, the ballots are burned with a chemical that produces white smoke, signaling that a new pope has been elected.
Photo credit: Vatican Media.
Comments