The Pope is Dead

The doctor acted quickly. He read the pontiff's heart beat, brain waves and respiratory signals; no visible signs of life. He turned to the the Cardinal Carmelengo and whispered to him in his ear, 'The pope is dead.'

The Cardinal Carmelengo stepped forward with a silver mallet in his hand and tapped the pope's forehead three times. No response. He turned to the audience of cardinals and announced, 'The See of Peter is vacant.' He paused and made the sign of the cross over the dead man. Turning to face the solemn priests, he said, 'I will inform the Cardinal Vicar of Rome. He will tell the People with confidence and decorum. Shortly, I will call the heads of the three orders of cardinals to a meeting to discuss preparations for his burial. As from this moment, the pontiff's quarters are out of bounds to everyone until after the election of a new pope. I will begin preparations for the conclave to put the People back on the right track.'

The Cardinal Carmelengo retreated without turning his back. The gawking priests followed his lead out of the room. The huge, ornate doors banged shut.

The lonely man was no more.

200 words

Notes:
No twist in this one: Just the proceedings after a pope dies. Informative I hope.
Taken from my novel Saintly Powers, about the canonisation of the Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman.
People is deliberately spelled with a cap P to signify all Catholics on earth).

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