ROME — 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.
Andrew Medichini,Associated Press
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI arrives in St. Peter's Square on Oct. 19, 2014, at the Vatican to attend the beatification ceremony of Pope Paul VI. Pope Francis said Wednesday that Benedict XVI is “very sick."
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. 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. Peter’s Basilica or the piazza, in this case presided over by Francis rather than the dean of the College of Cardinals, and burial in the grotto underneath the basilica.
“The funeral for a pope emeritus is the funeral for the bishop emeritus of Rome,” church historian Alberto Melloni said, adding that the situation isn’t entirely unprecedented since dioceses around the world have resolved how to properly honor retired bishops.
The rites themselves are contained in the tome “Roman Rituale,” which lays out how liturgical rites are to be celebrated, with specific prayers and readings.
A few tweaks are called for, however: Because Benedict was a head of state, the funeral would presumably take on greater pomp with the attendance of official delegations from around the world. To give them time to arrive, and to honor Benedict’s former status as pope, he would likely lie in state for a period of days in the basilica before the funeral, as occurred for popes past.
Few can forget the long lines of pilgrims who queued up for days and nights to pay homage to St. John Paul II when he died in 2005.
One thing that would distinguish a funeral for Benedict from that of the reigning pope is the nine days of funeral rites before burial, called the “novemdiales,” presumably would not take place, Melloni said. But one tradition that would be retained is the placing on the casket of the book of the Gospels.
Associated Press
Pope Francis, left, embraces Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI on June 28, 2017, at the Vatican.
When Benedict announced his retirement in 2013, he opened a decade of uncharted pontifical territory. From his title, “pope emeritus,” to his decision to retain the white cassock of the papacy, Benedict largely created a new playbook to encompass both a reigning and a retired pope.
Christopher Bellitto, a history professor at Kean University in New Jersey, said the novelty of Benedict’s remarkable decision would likely carry over into the posthumous period, and beyond.
“Headlines will say ‘One pope is burying another.’ Not true,” Bellitto said in an email. “To be clear: Benedict is the former pope.”
“But it is an extraordinary sight since we haven’t had a papal resignation in 600 years. It speaks both to the continuity of papal tradition in the line of St. Peter but also to a new world where papal resignations will be less rare, maybe even common,” he said.
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This mid-1970s file photo shows the archbishop of Munich and Freising, Joseph Ratzinger, who is to be elevated to cardinal by Pope Paul VI.
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After his nomination as Archbishop of Munich and Freising, south Germany, professor Joseph Ratzinger repeatedly had to shake hands of faithful followers in front of the Ramersdorfer Marienkirche (church Mary), May 23, 1977.
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Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, left, of Munich Germany in Vatican City during installation of five new cardinals by Pope Paul VI, June 27, 1977. (AP Photo/Massimo Sambucetti)
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In this Oct. 22, 1978 file photo, Pope John Paul II places his hands on the shoulders of West German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, archbishop of Munich and Freising, during the solemn inauguration of his ministry as universal Pastor of the Church in Vatican City.
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In this 1979 file photo, Pope John Paul II, left, poses with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was elected Pope on April 19, 2005 and chose Benedict XVI as his papal name.
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With the towers of Munich's cathedral in the background, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger bids farewell to the Bavarian believers in downtown Munich, Germany on Sunday, Feb. 28, 1982. A service in the cathedral and a walk through the crowd marked the farewell of the cardinal who will head the Congregation of Faith in the Vatican. (AP Photo/Dieter Endlicher)
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Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, presents a book with the documents issued by his Congregation about the Vatican II Council in the last 20 years, at a press conference at the Vatican Thursday. (Ap Photo/Bruno Mosconi)
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Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, at the Foreign Press Club in Rome to present the book "Toward the Third Millenium under the Action of the Holy Spirit", Monday, March 16, 1987. (Ap Photo/Giulio Broglio)
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German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, at the Foreign Press Club in Rome on March 16, 1987 to present the book “Toward the Third Millennium under the Action of the Holy Spirit.” (AP Photo/Giulio Broglio)
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Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger during celebrations in Rome, Italy, for his 60th birthday (born April 16, 1927) April 25, 1987. 700 pilgrims from Munich have come to Rome to join in the public procession.
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Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, gestures during a press conference at the Vatican Monday, June 26, 2000. (AP Photo/Massimo Sambucetti/POOL)
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In this file photo taken Sept. 11, 2002, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, left, now Pope Benedict XVI, is seen with late Pope John Paul II during mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito, FILES)
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In this April 8, 2005 file photo, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, blesses the coffin containing the body of Pope John Paul II, during the funeral mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, FILE)
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Pope Benedict XVI greets the crowd from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, in this April 19, 2005, file photo. Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, who chose the name of Pope Benedict XVI, became the 265th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis/file)
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Pope Benedict XVI waves to the crowd from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Tuesday, April 19, 2005. Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, who took the name of Pope Benedict XVI, is the 265th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)
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Pope Benedict XVI greets the crowd gathered in front of his former private home in Rome, Wednesday, April 20, 2005. The Pontiff, former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, exited the Vatican City Wednesday for a quick visit to his former home in Rome. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
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Pope Benedict XVI looks at a child during the weekly open-air general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2005. During his address, Benedict XVI said he felt close to AIDS victims and their families as he encouraged efforts by the church to combat the disease and to offer help to the sick. (AP Photo/Plinio Lepri)
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In a Christmas Eve message of peace, Pope Benedict XVI lights a candle at his studio window overlooking St. Peter's square at the Vatican Saturday, Dec. 24, 2005. Pilgrims, tourists and Romans flocked to St. Peter's Square on Saturday before Pope Benedict XVI's first Christmas service since becoming pontiff _ a Midnight Mass that marks the official start of a busy few days of celebrations for the pope. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
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Pope Benedict XVI adjusts his hat as he arrives for the traditional weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2005. The pontiff offered prayers for the victims of last year's tsunami in south-east Asia. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)
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U.S. first lady Laura Bush, center, and her daughter Barbara, left, are shown the way during the start of their meeting with Pope Benedict XVI in his private library in Vatican City Thursday, Feb. 9, 2006. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
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Pope Benedict XVI arrives in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican to celebrate the Easter Mass, Sunday, April 16, 2006. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
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Pope Benedict XVI walks through the gate of the former Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz in Oswiecim, Poland, Sunday, May 28, 2006 to pay his respect to the victims of the holocaust. Sign on left reads "Stop" in German and Polish. The visit is fraught with significance for Catholic-Jewish relations, a favorite theme for Benedict and predecessor John Paul II. (AP Photo/Diether Endlicher)
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Pope Benedict XVI celebrates a Mass in memory of the late Pope John Paul II on the second anniversary of his death, at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Monday, April 2, 2007. Roman Catholics marked the second anniversary of Pope John Paul II's death Monday with vigils in his native Poland and a ceremony earlier in Rome to seal shut - with red ribbons and wax - documents on the pope's life that are vital to making him a saint. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
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Pope Benedict XVI waves to faithful at the end of the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) procession at the ancient Colosseum in Rome, Friday, March 21, 2008. Pope Benedict XVI presided over the Good Friday night Way of the Cross procession at the Colosseum during a driving rainstorm, but he didn't carry the cross as planned during the tradition, which this year was dedicated to religious freedom. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
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President Bush and Pope Benedict XVI walk down the Colonnade of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, April 16, 2008, following an arrival ceremony on the South Lawn. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
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With the sun shining behind him, Pope Benedict XVI arrives to celebrates Mass, Thursday, April 17, 2008, at Washington Nationals baseball Park in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
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Pope Benedict XVI, center, acknowledges cheers from the crowd upon arriving at a youth rally Saturday, April 19, 2008 at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, Pool)
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Pope Benedict XVI walks the edge of the stage after celebrating Mass Sunday, April 20, 2008 at Yankee Stadium in New York. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, Pool)
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Pope Benedict XVI waves to the faithful during an audience with Franciscan friars at his summer residence of Castelgandolfo, in the outskirts of Rome Saturday April 18, 2009. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)
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Pope Benedict XVI smiles at the end of his weekly general audience in St. Peter's square at the Vatican, Wednesday, June 17, 2009. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
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President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama meet with Pope Benedict XVI, at center, at the Vatican, Friday, July 10, 2009. President Obama sat down with the pontiff at the Vatican on Friday for a meeting in which frank but constructive talks were expected between two men who agree on helping the poor but disagree on abortion and stem cell research. (AP Photo/Chris Helgren, POOL)
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Pope Benedict XVI gestures from his popemobile as he leaves a youth gathering, in St. Peter's square, at the Vatican, Thursday, March 25, 2010. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
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Pope Benedict XVI, right, and Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, left, inspect an honor guard of members of the Royal Company of Archers and members of the Royal Regiment of Scotland Band as the Pope arrives at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, in Edinburgh, Scotland, Thursday Sept. 16, 2010. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis, pool)
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Pope Benedict XVI delivers his message during the Angelus noon prayer in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)
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Pope Benedict XVI waves from the popemobile wearing a Mexican sombrero as he arrives to give a Mass in Bicentennial Park near Silao, Mexico, Sunday, March 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
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Pope Benedict XVI, holding a tall, lit, white candle, enters a hushed and darkened St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican Saturday, April 7, 2012, to begin the Vatican's Easter vigil service. Except for the twinkle of camera flashes, the basilica was almost pitch-black as the thousands of faithful in pews awaited Benedict's arrival through the rear entrance Saturday night. Christians on Easter joyously mark their belief that Christ rose from the dead after his crucifixion. Praying at the start of the service, Benedict said Easter brings hope to the faithful. On Sunday morning, he will lead Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)
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Pope Benedict XVI waves to faithful during his final general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013. Pope Benedict XVI has recalled moments of "joy and light" during his papacy but also times of great difficulty in an emotional, final general audience in St. Peter's Square before retiring. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
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In this file photo taken in the St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, on Feb. 22, 2014, Pope Francis salutes Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, left, at the end of a consistory. When Pope Benedict XVI abdicated, he insisted he would remain "hidden from the world" in prayer. But Francis has slowly coaxed him out of retirement and giving him an increasingly public role in the church, believing that he like all elderly have something to offer and shouldn't be holed up in a museum like a "statue." (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
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Pope Francis, right, greets Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI prior to the start of a meeting with elderly faithful in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2014. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
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Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI waves as attends a consistory inside the St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014. Benedict XVI has joined Pope Francis in a ceremony creating the cardinals who will elect their successor in an unprecedented blending of papacies past, present and future. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
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Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, center, toasts for his 88th birthday with Monsignor Georg Gaenswein, right, and members of a group from his hometown Bavaria region, in the Vatican gardens, Thursday, April 16, 2015. (L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP)
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Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI sits in St. Peter's Basilica as he attends the ceremony marking the start of the Holy Year, at the Vatican, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
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Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, right, hugs Pope Francis in St. Peter's Basilica during the ceremony marking the start of the Holy Year, at the Vatican, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015. Pope Francis pushed open the great bronze doors of St. Peter's Basilica on Tuesday to launch his Holy Year of Mercy, declaring that mercy trumps moralizing in his Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
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In this Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016 filer, Pope Francis, left, talks with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in the former Convent Mater Ecclesiae at the Vatican. A "modest" 90th birthday party is being planned for Benedict XVI, who stunned the Catholic church by resigning in 2013. (L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP)
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Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI meets Bavarian Prime Minister Horst Seehofer on the occasion of a party for Benedict's 90th birthday, at the Vatican Monday, April 17, 2017. (L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP)
