Saint Michael Parish
Welcomes You
"Rest In Peace Pope Francis"
O God, faithful rewarder of souls,
grant that your departed servant
Pope Francis,
whom you made successor of Peter
and shepherd of your Church, may happily
enjoy forever in your presence in heaven
the mysteries of your grace and compassion
which he faithfully ministered on earth.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, forever and ever. Amen.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon him.
May he rest in peace. Amen.
From Bishop Bonnar:
“The news of Pope Francis’ death is a cause of great sadness for the whole Church and certainly for me personally as a bishop chosen by him nearly five years ago. The Holy Father in word and deed brought a pastoral vision to the Church centered in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He reintroduced to us the vocabulary of Jesus that includes such realties as joy, love, hope, mercy, encounter, accompaniment, listening, and compassion. In this Easter Octave we behold the great mystery of our faith that climaxes in the resurrection. May Pope Francis see the face of God today."
PROCESS OF ELECTING A NEW POPE
When a pope dies or resigns, the governance of the Catholic Church passes to the college of Cardinals. Cardinals are bishops and Vatican officials from all over the world, personally chosen by the pope, recognizable by their distinctive red vestments.
Following a vacancy in the papacy, the cardinals hold a series of meetings at the Vatican called general congregations. They discuss the needs and the challenges facing the Catholic Church globally. They will also prepare for the upcoming papal elections, called a conclave. Decisions that only the pope can make, such as appointing a bishop or convening the Synod of Bishops, must wait till after the election. In the past, they made arrangements for the funeral and burial of the deceased pope.
Four rounds of balloting are taken every day until a candidate receives two-thirds of the vote.
In the past, 15 to 20 days after a papal vacancy, the cardinals gathered in Saint Peter’s Basilica for a Mass invoking the guidance of the Holy Spirit in electing a new pope. Only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote in a conclave. They are known as the cardinal electors.
For the conclave itself, the cardinal electors process to the Sistine Chapel and take an oath of absolute secrecy before sealing the doors.
The cardinals vote by secret ballot, processing one by one up to Michaelangelo’s fresco of the Last Judgment, saying a prayer and dropping the twice-folded ballot in a large chalice. Four rounds of balloting are taken every day until a candidate receives two-thirds of the vote. The results of each ballot are counted aloud and recorded by three cardinals designated as recorders. If no one receives the necessary two-thirds of the vote, the ballots are burned in a stove near the chapel with a mixture of chemicals to produce black smoke.
When a cardinal receives the necessary two-thirds vote, the dean of the College of Cardinals asks him if he accepts his election. If he accepts, he chooses a papal name and is dressed in papal vestments before processing out to the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica. The ballots of the final round are burned with a chemical producing white smoke to signal to the world the election of a new pope.
The senior cardinal deacon, currently French Cardinal Dominque Mamberti, Prefect of the Supreme Tribal of the Apostolic Signatura, announces from the balcony of Saint Peter’s “Habemus Papam” (“We have a pope”) before the new pope processes out and imparts his blessing on the city of Rome and the entire world.
From the USCCB website