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The Vatican has detailed rituals and procedures to follow when a pope dies, but it has not published such rules for a pope emeritus. As a result, official word Wednesday that the health of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI had worsened prompted questions about what happens if and when he dies.
The answer is: There is no specific answer, at least not one the Vatican has announced ahead of time. The only thing certain is that the most important ritual following the death of a pope — a conclave to elect a new one — does not apply.
Pope Francis sounded the alarm about the 95-year-old Benedict’s health when he asked during his weekly Wednesday general audience for a special prayer for his predecessor, saying the retired pope was “very sick.”
Francis later visited Benedict at his home in Vatican City. the Vatican Gardens. The Vatican spokesman confirmed that Benedict had experienced a worsening in his condition, due to his age, in the previous few hours but said the situation was under control.
Most church watchers assume that, when they become necessary, funeral rituals for Benedict will closely hew to those for a retired bishop of Rome: a funeral in either St.
