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Ding Dong The Pope Is Dead
He continues to shake it up even though he’s gone
Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio was an unexpected choice for Pope
Our most recent Pope was an unexpected result of a Conclave tie. The Cardinals usually choose one of their favorites, but the vote was split, so some shifted their vote to an unknown person.
Bergoglio won.
What’s in a name
A new Pope picks a name he will use during his time as the leader.
Bergoglio chose a name to honor St Francis of Assisi, who supported the underprivileged. It was a signal that this new Pope was going in a different direction.
He disrupted Vatican traditions from the beginning. Now that he is gone, he continues to shake it up.
When a pope dies, the Vatican follows a formal process to confirm his death, mourn him, and choose a new leader. Here’s how it works:
Confirm the death
The Camerlengo (a Vatican official) is in charge of confirming the pope’s death. Irish-born Cardinal Kevin Farrell is the Camerlengo right now, so he’ll be the one to confirm the pope’s death.