According to Vatican News, the task of announcing the name of the next pope “is reserved for the longest-tenured cardinal belonging to the Order of Deacons, one of the three orders that make up the College of Cardinals (the others being the Order of Priests and the Order of Bishops)”.
In a consistory held last Monday, “the call to ‘optatio’ came from three cardinals: Baldisseri and the German Gerhard Ludwig Müller”.
“In this way, the holder of the right to pronounce ‘habemus papam’ became the Frenchman Dominique Mumberti”, it explained.
A cardinal holds office for “at least eight months,” but can be for less time. “In fact, after February 14, 2025, ten years after his creation as a cardinal, he can also choose to transfer to the order of priests.”
If this happens, “the duties of Protodigen will pass to the Italian Mario Gennari, Apostolic Nuncio to Syria.”
However, a newspaper dedicated to news about the Vatican guarantees that the Church is not “on the verge of a conference” and that “despite some health problems, Francis is fine and Peter has no intention of abdicating.”
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