Pope Francis remains in ‘critical’ condition: What happens when head of Catholic Church can no longer serve or dies?

Pope Francis – the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican city-state – remains in critical condition as he receives treatment for double pneumonia and a lung infection. The 88-year-old Argentine pontiff’s illness has brought up questions such as what happens when a living pope is unable to serve or when the pope is no more.

When pope is unable to fulfil duties
When a pope is alive but unable to fulfil his duties, there is no rule to replace him. Senior cardinals continue to run the Church but more important decisions requiring the pope’s approval might be delayed.
In such cases, the only way for a new pope to take charge is for the current pope to resign – as Pope Benedict XVI did in 2013 due to his deteriorating health.
After his resignation – the first in 600 years – Pope Francis was elected his successor.
Pope Benedict XVI died on December 31, 2022, with Pope Francis leading his funeral.

In the event of death
When a pope dies, the Vatican follows a protocol with a step-by-step procedure. Firstly, the Vatican’s administrator of property and revenue verifies the death – by calling out the pope's baptismal name thrice and if there is no response, he declares that “the pope is truly dead.”

After the declaration, the Vatican formally informs the world through official channels, and churches around the world may toll their bells in mourning.

Vatican officials then lock the papal apartment, arrange for the destruction of the pope’s Fisherman's Ring and seal (symbolising the end of his rule), inform the Church and the public, conduct the funeral, and observe a mourning period.

According to the protocol, the pope’s funeral must take place within 4-6 days after his death. The Church then observes nine days of mourning. The pope is usually buried in St Peter's Basilica, though he may request to be buried elsewhere.

New pope’s election
Roughly two weeks after the pope’s death, the process to elect the new pope begins. Cardinals aged under 80 years gather at the Vatican, lock themselves inside the Sistine Chapel, cut off from the outside world, and vote in multiple rounds until a candidate receives a two-thirds majority.

After each vote, the ballots are burned, with black smoke indicating no decision and white smoke signaling that a new pope has been elected.