Latest news with #VaticanCityState
France 24
07-05-2025
- Politics
- France 24
White smoke: signalling a new pope down the ages
The centuries-old tradition of using smoke has changed over time -- as has the technology used. Gunshot All conclaves bar one have taken place in Rome since the 15th century, and the tradition of burning the cardinals' paper ballots dates back to then. It was initially an effort to prevent vote tampering but came over time to be used as a signal, although for centuries it merely meant the vote was not successful. In the 1823 conclave in the Quirinale Palace -- then the papal residence -- it was agreed that the guard outside would fire blanks to announce the election of a pope, according to Javier Martinez-Brocal and Jose de Jesus Aguilar's book "Conclave: The Rules for Electing the Next Pope". The first time white smoke was used to signal the election of a pope was at the 1914 conclave in the frescoed Sistine Chapel at the Vatican. Stoves, old and new The cast iron stove in which the cardinals burn their ballots was first used at the conclave of March 1939. It is around one metre (3.2 feet) tall and the years and months of the conclaves in which it has been used are engraved on the cover. There is a lower door for lighting it, with a manual valve for adjusting the draught, and an upper door to put in the documents for burning. Since 2005, the Vatican has added a second, new stove, connected to a small flue which feeds into the same chimney. In it, chemicals are burned for several minutes to colour the smoke. Black or white Chemicals have been used to colour the smoke since 1958 but the newer stove -- used for the first time during the election of Benedict XVI -- has a fan and makes the smoke more visible. A mix of potassium perchlorate, sulphur and anthracene -- found in coal tar -- is used to turn the smoke black, while potassium chlorate, lactose and pine rosin is used to make it white. The newer stove is activated electronically but the Vatican says it has been tested and it is prepared for last-minute technical difficulties. "One of our expert technicians, locked in the conclave, will remain for the entire duration of the voting in a small technical room near the Sistine Chapel with the stove's remote control," Silvio Screpanti, Vatican City's deputy director of infrastructure, said in an interview ahead of the conclave. He or she will be "ready to intervene promptly if necessary, so that no unforeseen event hinders the famous and long-awaited white smoke", he told the Vatican City State website. Bells Since 2005, to rule out any ambiguity should the white smoke look grey, the bells of St Peter's Basilica also toll to tell the world the Church has a new pope. © 2025 AFP
Int'l Business Times
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
White Smoke: Signalling A New Pope Down The Ages
When Catholic cardinals vote in the conclave, they then burn their ballots, sending up black smoke to signal no decision or white smoke to show they have chosen a new pope. The centuries-old tradition of using smoke has changed over time -- as has the technology used. All conclaves bar one have taken place in Rome since the 15th century, and the tradition of burning the cardinals' paper ballots dates back to then. It was initially an effort to prevent vote tampering but came over time to be used as a signal, although for centuries it merely meant the vote was not successful. In the 1823 conclave in the Quirinale Palace -- then the papal residence -- it was agreed that the guard outside would fire blanks to announce the election of a pope, according to Javier Martinez-Brocal and Jose de Jesus Aguilar's book "Conclave: The Rules for Electing the Next Pope". The first time white smoke was used to signal the election of a pope was at the 1914 conclave in the frescoed Sistine Chapel at the Vatican. The cast iron stove in which the cardinals burn their ballots was first used at the conclave of March 1939. It is around one metre (3.2 feet) tall and the years and months of the conclaves in which it has been used are engraved on the cover. There is a lower door for lighting it, with a manual valve for adjusting the draught, and an upper door to put in the documents for burning. Since 2005, the Vatican has added a second, new stove, connected to a small flue which feeds into the same chimney. In it, chemicals are burned for several minutes to colour the smoke. Chemicals have been used to colour the smoke since 1958 but the newer stove -- used for the first time during the election of Benedict XVI -- has a fan and makes the smoke more visible. A mix of potassium perchlorate, sulphur and anthracene -- found in coal tar -- is used to turn the smoke black, while potassium chlorate, lactose and pine rosin is used to make it white. The newer stove is activated electronically but the Vatican says it has been tested and it is prepared for last-minute technical difficulties. "One of our expert technicians, locked in the conclave, will remain for the entire duration of the voting in a small technical room near the Sistine Chapel with the stove's remote control," Silvio Screpanti, Vatican City's deputy director of infrastructure, said in an interview ahead of the conclave. He or she will be "ready to intervene promptly if necessary, so that no unforeseen event hinders the famous and long-awaited white smoke", he told the Vatican City State website. Since 2005, to rule out any ambiguity should the white smoke look grey, the bells of St Peter's Basilica also toll to tell the world the Church has a new pope.
Euronews
24-04-2025
- Euronews
When is the Sistine Chapel closed? What to know about visiting Rome following Pope Francis' death
ADVERTISEMENT Tourists who have booked to visit Rome in the coming weeks will experience the city during a rare historical moment. Following the death of Pope Francis on 21 April, a series of religious rituals and procedures will be enacted that might impact travel plans. The Argentinian-born pontiff died on Monday of a stroke, which triggered a coma and 'irreversible' heart failure, the Vatican announced. The Sistine Chapel will be closed to the public while it is used for voting on the new pope - a process that will see the famous room closed for over a week. Crowds and queues around the Vatican are expected to be particularly heavy, especially given the celebrations for the Catholic Church's 2025 Jubilee Year are already drawing an increased number of visitors. Here's what to know about expected travel disruptions in Rome, or, if you're planning a trip to witness some of the religious traditions, where you can participate in them. When will the Sistine Chapel be closed? Travellers to Rome in the next few weeks have been warned to expect closures, visitor restrictions and crowds at some of the city's main attractions. Rome's key tourist sites within the Vatican - the heart of the Catholic Church - will now be absorbed by mourning and reelection procedures. Around 15-20 days after the pontiff's death, the conclave will begin, a storied process to determine the next pope. This strictly confidential gathering sees Roman Catholic cardinals locked inside the Sistine Chapel until a decision is made. As such, the room adorned by Michelangelo's frescoed tour de force will be closed for about a week before the conclave begins and will remain closed for the entire duration of the process. It will likely open again a couple of days after the conclave ends, as it has done after the death of previous Popes. The Vatican City State has announced that the Sistine Chapel will be closed to the public from Monday 28 April, for the requirements of the conclave. The chapel is accessed through the Vatican Museums. These will remain open to visitors with all other parts accessible, including the Raphael Rooms, according to tour operator Through Eternity Tours. The Vatican Museums and the Castel Gandolfo Museum Complex will, however, be closed on 26 April as a sign of mourning for the funeral of Pope Francis. ADVERTISEMENT Tours of the Necropolis of the Via Triumphalis and the Vatican Gardens will be suspended for security reasons, however, as the cardinals are bused back and forth from the chapel to their accommodation through the grounds. The Vatican Museums states that all tickets, including for the Sistine Chapel, are non-refundable and dates, times or names cannot be modified. If you have purchased tickets through a third-party operator, you should check their website or contact them about refunds or date changes. Long queues and dress codes for St Peter's Basilica Tourists should expect limited access to St Peter's Basilica, where Pope Francis' body is now lying in state from today, 23 April. ADVERTISEMENT As mourners flock to pay their respects, tourists wanting to visit the church should expect lengthy queues and heightened security. The dress code for visiting the sacred site will be strictly enforced. This includes having shoulders and knees covered and avoiding wearing short skirts, shorts, flip-flops and sleeveless tops. Some areas of the basilica may not be accessible, including the dome. Guided tours to the basilica are suspended as access is via the Sistine Chapel. Pope Francis requested to be buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, a majestic UNESCO-designated sanctuary containing a piece of the Holy Crib and a venerated icon of the Virgin Mary as the protector of the Roman people. ADVERTISEMENT Access to the church is likely to be restricted due to funeral preparations and the burial. Millions expected in Rome for Pope's funeral While it may be disappointing to forgo seeing the Sistine Chapel or St Peter's Basilica, a visit in this period can also be a once-in-a-lifetime experience (the Italian expression for 'once in a blue moon' is 'every time a pope dies'). Visitors from around the world are expected to descend on Rome in the coming weeks for a chance to witness this monumental event for the Catholic Church. "Historically, during the passing of a pope - as we experienced firsthand in April 2005 during the death of Pope John Paul II - travellers witnessed a profound moment of history," James Ridgway, CEO of Christian travel specialist ETS, told Travel Weekly. ADVERTISEMENT "While some sites around St. Peter's Basilica and Vatican City experienced closures or restricted access, many travellers were able to participate in public gatherings, memorials and prayer services, creating a deeply meaningful experience." Related Florence, Rome, Venice: Italian cities are cracking down on overtourism in 2025 This ancient amphitheatre near Rome doesn't know if it's a football pitch or a tourist attraction If you are planning a short-notice trip to participate in some of the funeral and reelection events, you should expect higher flight prices. 'We'll definitely see an increase in flight prices to Rome and to Italy over the next few weeks, as the faithful flock to pay their respects and potentially to see the announcement of the new Pope,' Angus Kidman, travel expert at Finder, told Australian site Hotel prices in Rome are also likely to rise as demand increases, says Tim Hentschel, the co-founder and CEO of travel company HotelPlanner, while some shops and restaurants may be closed as a sign of respect. ADVERTISEMENT The Pope's body will be lying in state for public viewing in St Peter's from 23 April until Saturday, 26 April, when the funeral will take place in St Peter's Square. The chapel where he is on display is accessible on 23 April from 11 am to midnight, 24 April from 7 am to midnight, and 25 April from 7 am to 7 pm. The funeral is expected to draw huge crowds, possibly larger than that of Pope John Paul II in 2005, which was attended by approximately four million people. Where to witness the announcement of the new pope When the conclave begins, St. Peter's Square will remain open, but it will be packed with visitors and media. ADVERTISEMENT The outcome of voting rounds is indicated via smoke released from the chapel chimney - black for inconclusive, white for the successful election of a new pope. According to the National Catholic Reporter, you can see the smoke from the chapel twice daily - around noon after the first two ballots and again at 7 pm after the last round of voting. White smoke might appear earlier, at around 10.30 am or 5.30 pm.
Sydney Morning Herald
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Pope Francis battled entrenched interests to lift his church
When Jorge Mario Bergoglio began his journey as Pope Francis just over 12 years ago, he carried the hopes of many of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics that he would bring modernity and redress the ongoing scandal of sexual abuse that had plagued his predecessors and stained his church across the globe. He was Argentinian, the first pope to be born or raised outside of Europe in 12 centuries. But he was more than an outsider. He was a Jesuit. Jesuits are quite feared, if not loathed, by many other Catholic clergy because of their independence from the corporate church. Their leader, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, is called the 'Black Pope', and over the centuries the order's priests have carried out the toughest missionary assignments or have been sent in to clean up the mess. Yet, there were hints of the old church in Pope Francis' history, including his role during the Argentinian dictatorship and his strident opposition to his nation's shift to legalising gay marriage. He was conservative as well on other issues to which progressives in the West give priority, such as abortion and euthanasia, but he showed signs of pragmatism about contraception and he placed the rights of children above the church. His time coincided with the need to delicately balance the church tradition rigidly respected by African, Latin and Asian nations where Catholicism was alive and well against growing disenchantment with the stringency of Rome occurring in richer countries over female priests, abortion and gay rights. There were early fails, but Pope Francis made progress addressing the church's sexual abuse crisis. He clashed publicly with the more conservative factions within the church and removed bishops who had not dealt forthrightly with sexual abuse. He also fought hard to reform the Holy See and the Vatican City State, establishing an anti-corruption authority that carried out financial audits of entities belonging to them. As the champion of the poor, Pope Francis sought to reshape his church into a more inclusive institution and as much of the world let go of past certainties and splintered into populist creditabilities, he used his growing global stature to remind people of the great challenges humans around the world now face: climate change, migrant rights and income equality. From the start, Pope Francis warned about the spiritual sickness of a self-referential church. 'If the church remains closed in on itself, self-referential, it gets old. Between a church that suffers accidents in the street, and a church that's sick because it's self-referential, I have no doubts about preferring the former,' he warned the old guard in 2013. If his attempts to reform the church culture were blunted by entrenched interests, Pope Francis created thousands of bishops and appointed more than half of the College of Cardinals, often choosing prelates who shared his priorities of being close to the poor, welcoming the marginalised and pushing the importance of dealing with climate change.
Sydney Morning Herald
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Pope Francis dies aged 88
While many popes are buried in the crypts beneath St Peter's Basilica, Francis made it known in December 2023 that he wanted a vastly stripped-back funeral service and to be buried in Rome's Basilica of Santa Maria. The funeral Mass is expected to be held in St Peter's Square. The last pope to be buried outside the Vatican was Leo XIII, who died in 1903 and is buried in the Basilica of St John Lateran in Rome. Cardinals will then lock themselves in the Sistine Chapel, disconnected from news media and telephones to block any outside influence, and undertake several rounds of voting until a candidate receives a two-thirds majority. The process could take days, if not weeks, before the result is announced when white smoke rises from the Sistine Chapel. Born in Buenos Aires in 1936, Francis' reign was controversial from the beginning when he was elected to the role following the shock resignation of former pope Benedict – the first pontiff to quit in 600 years. The pair formed a close bond in the almost 10 years that followed, when there were unusually two popes in the Vatican. Benedict died on the last day of 2022. Francis, the 266th pontiff in the church's 2000-year history, inherited the role at a time of great crisis and difficulty for the church, which had been battered by sexual abuse scandals, mired in financial mismanagement and polarised between conservatives and progressives. Although he did not change doctrine, he was revolutionary in every other way by almost immediately attacking clericalism, seeking to empower the laity, promoting women to positions of power in the bureaucracy – although not ordaining them priests – and speaking out about climate change. While he became known for his compassion and kindness, this did not apply to the clergy. He clashed publicly with the more conservative factions within the church and removed bishops who had not dealt forthrightly with sexual abuse. He also fought hard to reform the Holy See and Vatican City State, establishing an anti-corruption authority that carried out financial audits of entities belonging to them. During the recent synod, during which Catholics around the world were asked about their vision for the future of the church, he called for 'an ever more symphonic and synodal church', using the metaphor of an orchestra to refer to divisions between progressives and conservatives, saying one section or instrument could not play alone or drown out the others. It was his job, as 'conductor' to listen and try to achieve a 'creative fidelity'. He fought without great success to change the church's power dynamics and give a greater voice to lay Catholics, including women, and people on the margins of society. In an interview during his first year in office, he said he would not obsess over abortion, same-sex marriage and birth control since everyone knew what the church taught on these topics. Loading Late last year, Francis surprised many when he named 21 new cardinals in a power play that will ensure the now 140-member College of Cardinals – whose main job is to elect the next pope – is 80 per cent made up of those of his choosing. The percentage of Asian and African cardinal electors has grown significantly – reflecting Francis' quest to increase the Church's embrace of the developing world – while that of those from Europe has fallen. His visit to the Philippines in January 2015 included the largest papal event in history with an estimated 6 million attendees in his final Mass in Manila, surpassing the then-largest papal event at World Youth Day 1995 at the same venue 20 years earlier. But his papacy also faced fierce criticism from within the ranks of the church, most famously when an essay was published, thought to be written by the late cardinal George Pell, in January 2023 condemning Francis as a 'catastrophe' and depicting the Vatican's political prestige 'at a low ebb' while condemning his 'grave failures to support human rights in Venezuela, Hong Kong, mainland China, and now in the Russian invasion'. Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what's making headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here.
