Scott Bradford: Off on a Tangent
Papal Interregnum
Updated: Apr. 23, 5:31 p.m. EDT (11:31 p.m. CEST)
Now in Rome: Apr. 25, 12:01 p.m. CEST

Pope Francis

Jorge Mario Bergoglio

1936 – 2025

Sede vacante began:
April 21, 2025, 7:35 a.m. CEST
(1:35 a.m. EDT; 05:35 UTC)

Funeral Mass:
April 26, 2025, 10:00 a.m. CEST
(4:00 a.m. EDT; 08:00 UTC)

Pope Francis (Korea.net, CC BY-SA 2.0)
(Korea.net, CC BY-SA 2.0)
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Updates:

Wednesday, April 23, 2025

  • 10:21 a.m. (EDT): Morning updates:
    • Pope Francis’s coffin was moved in ceremonial procession this morning from the Chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the guest house where he resided, to the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter. He will now lie in state at the basilica until his funeral Mass on Saturday.
    • The Vatican has issued two new updates relating to funeral arrangements:
      • The rite of the closing of the coffin will be held on Friday, April 25, 2025, at 8:00 p.m. CEST (2:00 p.m. EDT; 18:00 UTC). Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, will preside over the ceremony.
      • The interment of the coffin will be held on Saturday, April 26, 2025, following the funeral Mass. A procession will move the coffin from Saint Peter’s Basilica to the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major, where Cardinal Kevin Farrell will preside over the interment.

Tuesday, April 22, 2025

  • 6:12 p.m. (EDT): Schedules for key events were announced today:
    • Pope Francis’s coffin will be moved to Saint Peter’s Basilica in a ceremonial procession that will begin on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. CEST (3:00 a.m. EDT; 07:00 UTC). He will lie in state at Saint Peter’s until his funeral—official announcement
    • A funeral Mass for Pope Francis will be held at Saint Peter’s Basilica on Saturday, April 26, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. CEST (4:00 a.m. EDT; 08:00 UTC)—official announcement
    • The nine-day “novemdiales” mourning period begins on the day of a deceased pope’s funeral Mass, not on the day of his death as I had reported earlier. Thus, it has not yet begun, and will start on April 26.

Monday, April 21, 2025

  • 6:38 p.m. (EDT):
    • His Holiness Pope Francis, the 266th supreme pontiff, died at 7:35 a.m. CEST (1:35 a.m. EDT; 05:35 UTC)—official announcement
    • Francis’s cause of death is listed as stroke, coma, and irreversible cardiovascular collapse—official announcement
    • Upon the death or resignation of a pope, the Catholic Church enters an interregnum period known as sede vacante (vacant seat), which continues until a new pope is elected.
    • When a pope dies, the church enters a nine-day period of mourning called the “novemdiales.” A funeral Mass for the deceased pope is held during this period. (see update on April 22)
    • A conclave to elect a new pope must be convened within twenty days of a pope’s death or resignation. There are 135 cardinals eligible to vote in the upcoming conclave.
    • This page will be updated with newsworthy events throughout the interregnum.

Resources:

Scott Bradford is a writer and technologist who has been putting his opinions online since 1995. He believes in three inviolable human rights: life, liberty, and property. He is a Catholic Christian who worships the trinitarian God described in the Nicene Creed. Scott is a husband, nerd, pet lover, and AMC/Jeep enthusiast with a B.S. degree in public administration from George Mason University.