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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 death or resignation.
It was the obligation of the Camerarius (papal chamberlain), the head of the Apostolic Camera, 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 with Camerarius Boso Breakspeare. 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.
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. 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 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 language. 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 Holy Orders bishop if necessary, the sede vacante period ends, even before the papal inauguration.
Cardinals present in Rome may wait a maximum of fifteen days after the start of the vacancy before they hold the conclave to elect the new pope, although this period may be extended by five days by a vote of the college. After twenty days have elapsed, they must hold the conclave, even if some cardinals are not present. The period from the death of the pope to the start of the conclave was often shorter but, after Cardinal William O'Connell arrived too late for two conclaves in a row, Pope Pius XI extended the time limit. With the next conclave in 1939, cardinals began to travel by air. Days before his resignation in February 2013, Pope Benedict XVI amended the rules to allow the cardinals to begin the conclave sooner if all voting cardinals are present. Historically, sede vacante periods have often been quite lengthy, lasting many months, or even years, due to deadlocked conclaves.
The longest period without a pope in the last 250 years was the approximately half year from the death in prison of Pius VI in 1799 and the election of Pius VII in Venice in 1800.
The following table details sede vacante periods in excess of a year:
| 1 year 7 months |
| 2 years 10 months |
| 2 years 3 months |
| 2 years 3 months |
| 2 years 5 months |
| 197 days |
| 39 days |
| 49 days |
| 63 days |
| 15 days |
| 13 days |
| 15 days |
| 14 days |
| 15 days |
| 20 days |
| 19 days |
| 18 days |
| 20 days |
| 18 days |
| 17 days |
| 13 days |
| 17 days |
Within eight days after the episcopal see is known to be vacant, the college of consultors (or the cathedral chapter in some countries)See Codex Iuris Canonici Canon 502 § 3 (noting that an episcopal conference can transfer the functions of the consultors to the cathedral chapter). is obliged to elect a diocesan or archdiocesan administrator. The administrator they choose must be a priest or bishop who is at least 35 years old. Code of Canon Law, canon 425 §1. The word used ( sacerdos) applies also to a bishop, not just a priest.
If the college of consultors fails to elect a qualifying person within the time allotted, the choice of an administrator passes to the metropolitan archbishop or, if the metropolitan see is vacant, to the senior-most by appointment of the . The pope can also decide to name an administrator himself to a diocese or archdiocese instead of waiting for the college of consultors of a particular diocese, metropolitan archbishop or the senior-most by appointment of the bishops within the ecclesiastical province to appoint a diocesan administrator where it is then called as apostolic administrator. Usually, the emeritus bishop will be appointed in such a case. If the appointed apostolic administrator is a diocesan bishop or archbishop of a diocese or archdiocese, then he governs two dioceses which are his own and the vacant one, with the latter being temporarily while a successor of a vacant diocese is not yet installed or assumed office.
Before the election of the administrator of a vacant see, the governance of the see is entrusted, with the powers of a vicar general, to the auxiliary bishop, if there is one, or to the senior among them, if there are several, otherwise to the college of consultors as a whole. The administrator has greater powers, essentially those of a bishop or archbishop except for matters excepted by the nature of the matter or expressly by law. Canon law subjects his activity to various legal restrictions and to special supervision by the college of consultors (as for example canons 272 and 485).
vicar general and episcopal vicars lose their powers sede vacante if they are not bishops or archbishops;Codex Iuris Canonici Canon 481 § 1. the vicars that are themselves having both positions retain the powers they had before the see fell vacant, which they are to exercise under the authority of the administrator.Codex Iuris Canonici Canon 409 § 2. However, vicar generals retain their duties and responsibilities of the office—specifically during sede vacante serving as right-hand to the diocesan or apostolic administrator to establish continuity—until the succeeding bishop is installed or assumes office on a diocese.
A coat of arms of the last bishop or archbishop of a diocese or archdiocese, either the arms of a transferred, retired or dead previous bishop or the one as bishop of a transferred diocese, may also be used during sede vacante period to indicate and establish continuity while awaiting for the installation of a successor. Once a successor is installed or assumed office which ends the sede vacante period, the coat of arms of a new bishop will replace his predecessor's arms.
The name of a bishop or an archbishop is not mentioned in the Eucharistic Prayer of the Mass while a successor is not yet installed or assumed office. After mentioning the Pope, the celebrant will either immediately mention the statement "and all the clergy", skipping the name of a bishop or generally stating all the bishops as "the Order of Bishops". If a locally appointed diocesan administrator or an apostolic administrator is a bishop, however, his name is mentioned ("our Administrator", or simply as "our Bishop") as if a diocese has a prelate installed in office.
Additionally, the administrator may not sit on the cathedra even if he is a bishop or an archbishop, as it symbolizes the office of a full-time or mainstay prelate, and the former only serves as the temporary head of a diocese while a successor is not yet installed into office. He may only use a chair reserved for the main celebrant of a Mass.
The term sede vacante
/ref> When a diocesan see is vacant, its temporalities vest in the The Crown as guardian, including the bishop's right of patronage to . The exercise of this is termed the Crown's sede vacante patronage. It is also used in other contexts where there is a vacancy in a see.Sede vacante Wills: A Calendar of Wills Proved Before the Commissary of the Prior and Chapter of Christ Church, Canterbury During Vacancies in the Primacy (Cross & Jackman, 1914)
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