Sede vacante

In the Catholic Church, sede vacante is the state during which a diocese or archdiocese is without a prelate installed in office, with the prelate's office being the cathedral. The term is used frequently in reference to a papal interregnum occurring upon the pope's demise or resignation.

During the medieval period, the archpriest, archdeacon, and primicerius notariorum (chief of the notaries) in the papal court formed a regency council that governed during sede vacante periods.

It was the obligation of the Camerarius (papal chamberlain), the head of the Camera Apostolica, to formally establish the death of the pope. Gradually, this led to the theory that the Camerarius, as the chief of the Roman Curia, should conduct normal business even after the death of the pope, and also conduct the burial and the preparation for the new election. This process was evident during the tenure of Camerarius Boso Breakspeare, nephew of Pope Adrian IV, who served as chamberlain during the late 12th century. During the long sede vacante of 1268 to 1271, the importance of the Camerarius was so clear that the Cardinals prepared to elect a new one if he died.

The papacy was most recently sede vacante from 21 April to 8 May 2025 following the death of Pope Francis.

After the death or resignation of a pope, the Holy See enters a period of sede vacante. In this case, the particular church is the Diocese of Rome and the "vacant seat" is the cathedra of Saint John Lateran, the cathedral church of the Bishop of Rome. During this period, the Holy See is administered by a regency of the College of Cardinals.

According to Universi Dominici gregis, the government of the Holy See and the administration of the Catholic Church during sede vacante falls to the College of Cardinals, but in a very limited capacity. At the same time, all the heads of the departments of the Roman Curia "cease to exercise" their offices. The exceptions are the Cardinal Camerlengo, who is charged with managing the properties of the Holy See, and the Major Penitentiary, who continues to exercise his normal role. If either has to do something which normally requires the assent of the pope, he has to submit it to the College of Cardinals. Papal legates continue to exercise their diplomatic roles and both the Vicar General of Rome and the Vicar General for the Vatican City State continue to exercise their pastoral role during this period. The postal administration of the Vatican City State prepares and issues special postage stamps for use during this particular period, known as "sede vacante stamps".

The coat of arms of the Holy See also changes during this period. The papal tiara over the keys is replaced with the umbraculum, or ombrellino in Italian. This symbolizes both the lack of a pope and the governance of the camerlengo over the temporalities of the Holy See. The camerlengo also ornaments his arms with this symbol during this period, which he removes once a pope is elected. Previously during this period, the arms of the camerlengo appeared on commemorative Vatican lira coinage. It now makes its appearance on Vatican euro coins, which are legal tender in all Eurozone states.

The interregnum is highlighted by the funeral Mass of the deceased pope and the general congregations of the College of Cardinals for determining the particulars of the election, and finally culminating in the papal conclave to elect a successor. Once a new pope has been elected, and ordained bishop if necessary, the sede vacante period ends, even before the papal inauguration.