| Popes

• Papal Interregnum
• When a Pope Dies
• Mourning the Pope
• Before the Conclave
• Entry into the Conclave
• Election Procedure
• Special Provisions
• The Results
• How a Pope Is Elected
• Rites for the Pope

The period between the death or resignation of a Pope and the election of his successor, when the See of Peter is vacant, is called the Interregnum. This Latin term means between the reign (of one Pope and another). It is a period governed by papal law, which admits of no changes to Church governance, or to the spiritual or material patrimony of St. Peter, save the election of his successor.