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VATICAN, April 2, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The death of a Pope—like so many other activities as the Vatican—is surrounded by long traditions. But some of the events that will follow the final breaths of the Holy Father were dictated by Pope John Paul II himself, in his 1996 apostolic constitution Universi Dominici Gregis . The camerlengo—in this case, Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo—has the ritual responsibility for announcing the death of the Pontiff. The camerlengo, according to Vatican protocol, calls the deceased Pope by his Christian name three times. When there is no response, the prelate announces, “The Pope is truly […]