The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-21
7HU PASSING OF A PONTIFF.
STRANGE OLD FORM ALFTFES AT
TIM PORES DEATHBED.

TIM PUtk'S UCAk WbEW w.
nn,,n,.r aSu More stringens Forms stlil
That Rule the ConcIa,e which Names
uIs SucccssOr--The Nine Days Of
ceremonial Mourning OF tho
cardinals Assembly That FOllOws--.lts
wonderfully Planned BalI0ting-NO
Rule 10 prev ent n Laynaan, Even Mar
r,ed Man. Becoming tho GhMrch's Ruler.
Two hours after Pope Plus IL. who
IN the world had been Giovanni Mastai.
,,reatbed his last amid the dirge Of
tho p,nitential Psalms cbanted by his pom
,scal household, there entered his death
chamber the Cardinal Gioacchino Pecci,
.oon 10 be Leo NIL, the successor of the
de,d pontiff, but then officially Cardinal
Camerlango, that is, Papal Chamberlain
In his violet robes. the sign of mourn
Inr. The Cardinal Camerlengo approached
m. bed, around which were already as
aenblad the peritencers OF st. Peter,
Guardians of the dead. Preceding him
walked the Papal Master of Ceremonies,
hchind came the members Of the tribunal
and the clerks Of the chamber.
The Cardinal murmured short prayer.
hon Withdrew the white linen cloth cover
ing the face Of the Pope. He raised
silver hammer and thrice tapped lightly
Ipon the forehead. with each symbolic
ZAP calling him by name: Giovanni!
GIOVANNI! Giovanni"
Then, there being no response. he turned
20 the assembled household and said the
prescribed words; Papa rere mortuus
ru"-,he Pope is really dead.
In this form the death Of a Pope had
heen officially declared for centuries, back
IA the time Of Gregory the Great, and
long before that. The ceremony had
never changed amid all the many storms
which had broken over the Papacy. Then
here were other quaint ceremonial forms.
Here Is the story of this many centuries old
procedure which continues till the new
Pope is seated in st Peters chair
After the declaration the assembly chants
,hp Ne Profundis, and the Cardinal Gamer
'engo sprinkles the body with holy water
Then he causes the Master Of the Chamber
10 remove from the dead Pope's finger the
rfisherman's ring" and from the master
accepts it, az symbol of the temporary
transfer Of the authority Of the Holy See. At
the first plenary meeting Of the Cardinals
this ring, the seals and other insignia of
Office connected with the late Pope are
destroyed. The temporary sovereignty has
passed into the hands Of the Sacred Col
lege till new Pope is chosen.
notary Of the chamber. kneeling. reads
a procs' verbal verifying the death and the
passing Of the ring The Cardinal Gamer
Iengo then goes formally to notify the
Senator of Rome of the death of the Pontif
Immediately it is announced to the city by
the tollng of the great bell Of the Capitol
which is answered in turn by all the bells
Of all the basilicas and churches.
THE BODY LAID IN STATE
Meantime, when the Cardinal Camerlengc
has retired, the penitencers Of St. Peter
who are members of the Order Of st. Fran
els wash the body with perfumed water
As soon as possible it is embalmed by
the principal surgeon, the apothecary
Of the palace and his assistants. Tde in,
testines are also embalmed and, sealed in
an urn. are placed in the Basilica Of ST
Peter. When this is done. the penitencere
reclothe the body in the Pope's ordinary
dress-a white cloth cassock a girdle OF
white silk with golden tassels, scarlet shoes
snrplice, amice, scarlet camauro and stole.
Thus attired it is exposed upon a bed
covered with a cloth of purple and gold
and srrmounted by baldachin, the can
any Of rich silk which is carried over the
Host The Swiss Guard and the kneelng
penitencers are its custodlanS Tor the
time. ill it is carried 10 the Sistine Chapel.
There the dead Pope is reclothed, this
time in his pontifcal garments Of scarlet
as upon an occasion OF great soIemnity'
The penitencers put on his sandals. his
gloves, the ring, the palium and the
golden mitre and so clad he receives the
homage of all who pass before him. They
kneel as if he were still living
NINE DAYS oBsEouIEs
The day after death begin the Noven-
caes, the nine days obsequies. The large
door and the small door Of st. Peters are
draped with violet hangings fringed with
gold and surmounted by the escutcheon
If the dead Pontff. The body is exposed
upon catafalque surrounded by innum-
cradle candles The Noble Guards, with
reversed swords, watch it.
On the first day the Cardinals. by in
vtation OF the dean Of the Sacred College,
20 10 ST. Peters, They wear the mourning
cassock and amice Of violet without man
tle Taking off the cappa magma in the
chapel After them come the Patriarchs,
then the assisting Archbishops and Bishops
10 the throne. the four preates OF Fiochetti,
the non-assistant Bishops, the Oriental pre-
lates, the auditor OF rote, the consistorial
advocates. the Muster Of the Sacred Palace,
the generals Of all the religious orders and
finally all the ecclesiastics and laymen
who have rank in the Papal Chapel.
Entering the choir all bend the knee,
NOT only before the altar. but to the right
and left before the Cardinals. Although
he Ia vet unknown, the future Pope may be
among them.
SOLEMN MASSES IN ST. PETERS.
On the first day the solemn mass Pro
Papa Defuncto is celebrated by the Cardl-
nal Dean. The chanters of the chapel
chant the Dies Tras and the L'berd. In
turn other Cardinals celebrate on the days
following
On the seventh day, after mass the five
pontifcal absolutions begin. The cata-
faIQue disappears and is replaced by
richer monument, surrounded by lights,
inscriptions, emhlems and paintings COM
memorative of events in the reign Of the
dead Pope At the four corners are the
STOOLS of the Cardinals, who, with the one
who celebrates mass, must pronounce the
an40lutons in these last three days
After the holy sacrifice has been offered
The celebrating Cardinal and the four others,
who in the meantime have resumed the
amice, the alb the stole, the black cope,
he mtre and gloves, descend from the
altar, preceded by the cross and torches,
and range themselves around the monu-
I,.n N IL n la