Cardinal George Pell / Daniel Ibanez/CNA. See CNA article for full slideshow.
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jan 11, 2023 / 08:30 am (CNA).
Australian Cardinal George Pell died Tuesday in Rome at age 81 after suffering a cardiac arrest following a routine hip replacement surgery, his secretary confirmed to EWTN.
Church leaders in Australia reacted with sadness and shock at the news of Pell’s death. “May eternal light now be his, who so steadfastly believed in the God of Jesus Christ,” Comensoli wrote on Twitter.
“I offer sentiments of heartfelt condolence,” the pope said in a Jan. 11 message, “remembering with a grateful heart his consistent and committed witness, his dedication to the Gospel and the Church, and particularly his diligent cooperation with the Holy See in the context of its recent economic reform, of which he laid the foundations with determination and wisdom.”
The prime minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, said a memorial Mass will be held for Pell at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney, where he will be buried, according to Sky News Australia.
Pell’s funeral Mass will be held at the Vatican. The date has not yet been announced.
Pell, prefect emeritus of the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy, recently remembered Pope Benedict XVI during an EWTN News In Depth Interview shortly after the late pope’s death.
The Australian was made a cardinal by Pope John Paul II in October 2003, while he was archbishop of Sydney. Ten years later, Pope Francis appointed Pell a member of his Council of Cardinals, and the year after, he put him in charge of Vatican finances.
In 2017, Pell left Rome for Australia to defend his innocence of abuse charges. After 404 days in prison he was ultimately acquitted in 2020. He returned to live in Rome on Sept. 30, 2020, his first visit back to the city since his trial and imprisonment.
Below are photos of Pell throughout his time as cardinal.
Newly appointed Cardinal George Pell of Australia kisses Pope John Paul II’s hand in St. Peter’s Square Oct. 21, 2003, at the Vatican during the ordination ceremony of new cardinals. Photo by PAOLO COCCO/AFP via Getty Images
Pope Benedict XVI and Cardinal George Pell smile at one another while thanking all the volunteers at The Domain on July 21, 2008, in Sydney, Australia. Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Cardinal George Pell, archbishop of Sydney, unveils Australia’s first pure gold (L) and silver (R) coins commemorating the canonization of Mary MacKillop in Sydney on Sept. 30, 2010. Photo by TORSTEN BLACKWOOD/AFP via Getty Images
Australian Cardinal George Pell (R) and Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze arrive for a meeting on the eve of the start of a conclave on March 11, 2013, at the Vatican. Photo by JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty Images
Australian Cardinal George Pell as prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy of the Holy See attends a press conference on March 31, 2014, at the Vatican. Photo by ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP via Getty Images
Cardinal George Pell leaves the opening session of the Synod on the themes of family at Synod Hall on Oct. 5, 2015, in Vatican City, Vatican. (Photo by Giulio Origlia/Getty Images)
Australian Cardinal George Pell on June 29, 2017. Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images
Former archbishop of Sydney Cardinal George Pell attends the Chrism Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica on April 13, 2017, in Vatican City, Vatican. Photo by Franco Origlia/Getty Images
Cardinal George Pell arrives at Melbourne County Court on Feb. 27, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. Michael Dodge/Getty Images
Cardinal George Pell gives an interview to EWTN News in Rome, Italy, on Dec. 9, 2020. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA.
Australian Cardinal George Pell leaves after being released from Barwon Prison near Anakie, some 70 kilometers west of Melbourne, on April 7, 2020. Photo by WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images
Former Archbishop of Sydney Cardinal George Pell attends the Easter Vigil Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on April 16, 2022, in Vatican City, Vatican. Photo by Franco Origlia/Getty Images
Cardinal George Pell at the annual Eucharistic procession at the Angelicum in Rome, May 13, 2021. Daniel Ibáñez/CNA.
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Thousands depart St. Peter’s Square after praying the Holy Rosary for Pope Francis, Monday, April 21, 2025 / Credit: Kristina Millare/CNA
CNA Staff, Apr 23, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).
Pope Francis died on April 21 at the age of 88. As Catholics around the world mourn his passing, a highly regulated process has now begun that will see the pope’s earthly body laid to rest and a conclave convened to elect his successor.
As of this moment, the chair of St. Peter is vacant — and you may have seen the phrases “sede vacante” and “interregnum” being used to describe the present period. Here’s a breakdown of what those phrases mean.
What does the phrase ‘sede vacante’ mean?
“Sede vacante” is Latin for “the see being vacant,” indicating the period when a pope has died or resigned and a successor has not yet been chosen.
Sede vacante begins at the moment a pope dies or resigns and concludes when his successor accepts his election as pope. The College of Cardinals is entrusted with governing the Church during the sede vacante, but only for ordinary business and matters that cannot be postponed.
The phrase doesn’t only apply to the office of the papacy — if a bishop who is the ordinary of a diocese dies or is removed from his post by the pope, the episcopal see is “sede vacante” until a successor is appointed.
It’s worth noting that the phrase “sede vacante” has also gained usage among some Catholics who erroneously believe that the chair of St. Peter has been empty, with no legitimate pope, for decades. Adherents to this view are known as “sedevacantists” and are, under canon law, in schism because they reject the pope’s authority.
What is the ‘interregnum’?
“Interregnum” is a Latin word meaning “between the reigns” and can refer to the period between the reigns of any two rulers. In the case of the papacy, it refers to the period between the day of the death or resignation of one pope (which is counted as the first day of interregnum) and the election of his successor.
In papal documents, most notably Universi Dominici Gregis, issued by Pope John Paul II in 1996, the interregnum is referred to as the “vacancy of the Apostolic See.”
Three distinct phases take place during a papal interregnum:
1. The Nine Days of Mourning (Novendiales)
The pope’s body is currently lying in state in St. Peter’s Basilica, permitting the faithful to pay their respects. Between the fourth and sixth day after the pope’s death, a solemn funeral for the pope is celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica by the dean of the College of Cardinals, with the other cardinals. (Obviously, this is not done in the case of a papal resignation.)
The College of Cardinals declares an official mourning period of nine days, called the “Novendiales,” typically beginning on the day of the pope’s funeral. On each of the nine days a different cardinal or Church official celebrates a public funeral rite for the Holy Father, following the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis (2024).
Preparations for the conclave to elect the new pope are begun after the papal funeral. Normally, the day on which the conclave begins is to be the 15th day after the death of a pope, the 16th day of the interregnum.
The College of Cardinals was given the faculty under Universi Dominici Gregis to defer its beginning “for serious reasons” up to the 20th day after death (21st day of the vacancy). However, under changes made by Pope Benedict XVI, the College of Cardinals is granted the faculty to start the conclave early if “it is clear that all the cardinal electors are present; they can also defer, for serious reasons, the beginning of the election for a few days more.”
3. The conclave
The conclave itself takes place in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel under strict oath of secrecy; all of the cardinals are under penalty of automatic excommunication if they break the oath.
Emily Frase (right) and Mary Bruno have a launched a new website, FAbM, for women seeking effective alternatives to artificial birth control. / Courtesy of Emily Frase and Mary Bruno
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 21, 2021 / 10:21 am (CNA).
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