Bronze door one sign among many in papal transition

VATICAN CITY — For centuries, one of the surest signs that a pope had died was the closing of the massive Bronze Door beneath a portico off St. Peter's Square. This time, however, timing trumped tradition.

The bronze doors are routinely closed at 8 p.m. and opened again the next morning after the Basilica reopens. Pope John Paul II died at 9:37 p.m. Saturday — after the doors had closed for the day.

In fact, the modern use of Bronze Door as a sign of a papal death is spotty. In 1978, when two popes died in rapid succession, the tradition was ignored.

Papal observers also say it's not clear whether the shutting of the door even in daytime would precede or follow an official announcement. The door remains closed until a new pontiff is elected.

Another traditional tipoff that a pope has died is the ritual closing of the shutters of the two windows at the side of the pope's apartment overlooking St. Peter's Square. Some say the closing of the shutters can be the first tangible sign of a death.

Despite those arcane traditions, first official word that John Paul had died came in e-mails sent by the Vatican press office to accredited journalists.

That marked a stark departure from the centuries-old traditions of one of the world's most enduring institutions, the Roman Catholic Church.

The formal Vatican tradition goes like this:

When a pope dies, the prefect of the papal household, currently American Archbishop James Harvey, tells the camerlengo, or chamberlain, who is the most important official running the Holy See in the period between the death of a pope and the election of a new one.

The camerlengo, now Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo of Spain, must then verify the death — a process that in the past was done by striking the forehead of the pope with a silver hammer. The camerlengo then calls out to the pope three times by his baptismal name — Karol, Karol, Karol. When the pope does not respond, the camerlengo then announces "the pope is dead."

The camerlengo then uses the silver hammer to smash the pope's ring, the "ring of the fisherman," to preclude forgery of official documents.

He then tells the vicar of Rome, who then informs the people of the city.

The prefect of the papal household then tells the dean of the College of Cardinals, now Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who then formally informs the rest of the college, ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, and heads of state around the world.