The Vatican has sealed the pope’s official residence, symbolizing the beginning of the mourning period.
Vatican footage shared by Reuters shows Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, the camerlengo (or chamberlain), looking on as a Vatican employee places a red ribbon on the door of Pope Francis’ residence, tying it shut, before putting a wax seal on the ribbon. Farrell is then seen checking the seal and making sure the door is securely shut.
The building that was sealed was the Papal Apartment of the Apostolic Palace, the traditional residence of the pope. It was not used by Francis, who lived in Casa Santa Marta. The pope’s apartment in Casa Santa Marta has also been sealed, the Vatican said.
The sealing of the pope’s residence is a symbolic gesture done by the camerlengo – the acting head of the Vatican – that historically served to prevent looting of the pope’s residence. It symbolizes the formal end of the Francis’ pontificate.
