With the death of Pope Francis on Monday, April 21, media attention is shifting to the process of selecting his successor. The title "camerlengo" inevitably appears, sometimes without much explanation. Who and what is the camerlengo?
The camerlengo is a cardinal specially appointed by the pope to preside over the Apostolic Chamber and assist in the administration of the temporal goods of the Holy See while it is vacant. The word “camerlengo” comes from Italian, and its etymology links it to the word “chamberlain,” originally a gentleman attached to the service of the monarch's household. Both words come from the Latin root “camera,” meaning “chamber”: the camerlengo is, literally, the pope’s chamberlain or “attendant to the sovereign’s chamber,” according to Britannica.
The camerlengo thus ensures the administration of the Church during the vacancy of the See of St. Peter, upon the death of the Pope or (exceptionally) upon his resignation.
Irish-American Cardinal Kevin Farrell, appointed by Pope Francis on February 14, 2019, currently holds this position within the Roman Curia. He succeeded French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, who died in July 2018.
He is the cardinal reading the announcement of Pope Francis' death on the morning of April 21. On his right is Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the pope's secretary of state.
When a pope dies
In the event of a vacancy in the papal see, all cardinals in charge of dicasteries leave their posts, with the exception of the camerlengo. The government of the Church then falls to the Sacred College of Cardinals, meeting in General Congregation. However, its functions are limited, as it cannot make any decisions whose effects would extend beyond the period of vacancy of the Holy See.
In this sense, the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis, issued by John Paul II and revised by Benedict XVI, specifies:
1. During the vacancy of the Apostolic See, the College of Cardinals has no power or jurisdiction in matters which pertain to the Supreme Pontiff during his lifetime or in the exercise of his office; such matters are to be reserved completely and exclusively to the future Pope. [...]
2. During the vacancy of the Apostolic See, the government of the Church is entrusted to the College of Cardinals solely for the dispatch of ordinary business and of matters which cannot be postponed (cf. No. 6), and for the preparation of everything necessary for the election of the new Pope.
The camerlengo is also responsible for ascertaining and announcing the death of the pope to the Dean, the cardinal elected by his peers, who in turn informs the diplomatic corps and convenes the Sacred College for the conclave, during which the camerlengo holds the keys to the door.
During this time, “the Camerlengo of Holy Roman Church has the duty of safeguarding and administering the goods and temporal rights of the Holy See” (Universi Dominici Gregis §17).
After the election of the new pope, it is also he who passes the fisherman's ring to the Successor of St. Peter before leading him to his apartments and handing him the keys.
