Inside the Vatican After the Death of a Pope: Rituals, History, and What Comes Next

📍 Rome is at the center of the world’s attention once again.

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👉 To book a Vatican tour⁠

In this special episode of French People Are Rude, hosts Sean and Brandon sit down with Vatican expert and travel journalist Angel Castellanos to unpack the passing of Pope Francesco and the centuries-old rituals now unfolding inside the Vatican walls.

Whether you’re Catholic, curious, or just love secret rituals and historic events, this is your guide to understanding one of the world’s most important and mysterious transitions of power.

🕊️ Plus, Angel may have been the last person in the Sistine Chapel before it closed for conclave.

✨ Stuff We Talk About:

• The deeply symbolic funeral rites and what it means to be buried in Santa Maria Maggiore

• The interregnum period (“sede vacante”) and how the Vatican transitions power

• Behind-the-scenes logistics of visiting Saint Peter’s Basilica during this historic moment

• The secrets and ceremony of the conclave—how the next pope is elected, and why white smoke matters

• The front-runners for the next papacy (yes, including a Cardinal literally named Pizza)

  
  

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