The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1896-06-24
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BURIAL OF A POPE.
Impressive Ceremonials That Follow the
Death OF the PontIM

Impressive Ceremonfals Ihat FOLIO" tao
Death Of the Pontin:
When the death Of the reigning pope
draws near, the cardinal secretary OF
state informs the dean Of the sacred COL
lege, who summons his colleagues to the
residence of the dying man. The car
dinal vicar issues orders that prayers be
offered III the Roman churches; the car
dinal penitentiary attends the bedside CT
the pope, to whom the sacristan Of the
pope's chapel administers extreme unc-
tion. AS soon as may be after death has
occurred the body must be formally rec
ognized by the cardinal camerlingo,
who, in obedience to an ancient custom,
first knocks thrice on the door of the bed
chamber. Getting no answer, he enters
and taps thrice with silver mallet on
the dead mans forehead and thrice calls
him by name. No response coming, the
camerlingo declares that the pope IS
dead. Thenceforth the camerlingo is the
most important of the cardin;.$ having
charge of the preparations for the COLI
claye, of the government OF the palace
and Of the transactions with the repre-
sentatives of foreign powers, to whom
he officially announces the pope's death.
The papal guard Of Swiss halberdlers
attends him when he goes out: his arms
are stamped OH the medal of the vacant
see; he takes al inventory of the prop
erty in the palace and affixes seals to the
dead pontiff's papers. But Ill order to
prevent him from overstepplng his au-
thority the sacred college appoints three
cardinals-a bishop, priest and dea-
con-who are called the heads Of the
orders, and whose business it is to over
see his acts. They serve for three days,
being replaced by others chosen III rota-
tion.
Meanwhile the great bell of the capi-
tol, the so called ''Paterine, ," has tolled
the news to the citizens in Rome. For
lrerly this was the signal for unlocking
tic jails and for unrestrained disorders.
Brokers used to set Up booths where
pools, as at horse race, were sold Oh
the probable next pope. enormous sums
being squandered in this species Of
gambling. More recently that scandal
has been less open. Every one is on tip
tee with excitement Churchmen as
well as laymen display all eagerncss out
CT tune with the grief in which the
church is officially declared to be
plunged.
For during the novendial, or nine
days succeeding the pope's death, the
celebration Of his obsequies and the
mourning for his less are supposed to
absorb universal attention. His body
must first be embalmed and then attlrcd
in funeral apparel. When masses have
been said over it in the presence Of the
cardinals, it is removed to st. Peters,
where, on magnificent catafalque, it
lies in state. Finally, ON the ninth day,
the public funeral-one Of the great
pageants of the wcrld-takes place, aft
er which the body is coffined and laid
away in the temporary receiving tomb,
TO rest there until, when the next pope
dies, it is lowered into the crypt OF st.
Peters for permanent burial.
Needless to say, the funeral cere-
monies Of the novenoial cause no abate-
ment in the preparation for the con-
clave The day after the pope dies as
many cardinals as happen to be in Rome
meet to confer. The eldest of their num-
Der, the dean Of the college, presides.
They swear to preserve the utmost Sc
crecy concerning all their proceedings.
They renew their oaths Of allegiance to
the holy see, binding themselves to de-
fend and guard the rights, prerogatives
and temporal possessions of the church
)up to the efusion Of blocd.) Then they
discuss questions Of immediate urgency,
listen to the reading Of the laws govern
ing the election and hear the Gamer
lingo's report OF his business. The con-
gregation reassembles each Gay, its mem
bers being constantly increased by the
arrival Of cardinals from distance
William r. Thayer in Century.