With over a billion followers worldwide, the Roman Catholic Church is the largest branch of Christianity. This makes the papacy a seat of great authority and prestige. With great power comes great duty and responsibilities.
So the Pope has plenty to occupy his hours. Here’s a rundown of what the Pope does all day.
What You'll Learn Today
What are the Duties of the Pope?
Papal duties and protocol are complex and serve to isolate the pope with the exception of when he presides over public ceremonies.
Here’s an overview of his duties and activities.
- As the head of the Catholic Church, is the chief priest. It is his duty to maintain liturgical rites in line with the tradition of the church. He offers spiritual guidance to the faithful and is viewed as the moral force for the Catholics.
- The Pope serves as Bishop of the archdiocese of Rome. He is responsible for the appointment of bishops and naming of cardinals who elect the next pope. He works closely with the bishops and cardinals as his advisors to address certain issues.
- Being the head of Vatican City State, the Pope meets with heads of state and political leaders to address global issues. He maintains diplomatic relations and appoints ambassadors (Apostolic Nuncios) who serve as an envoy of the church to other states or international organisations. The Nuncios are the equivalent of ambassadors and have the same diplomatic privileges
- Other activities include presiding at beatification and canonization ceremonies. The pope presides over all major religious celebrations including Christmas and Easter. He also offers a weekly blessing and a weekly address to tourists and faithful visiting the Vatican.
- The Pope is expected to write and publish papal documents that define the Catholic Church’s official position on global issues.
- In modern times, foreign travel and spreading the beliefs of the Catholic Church is also considered a duty of the pope.
A Typical Day in the Life of Pope Francis
Despite the constant flood of duties and responsibilities, Pope Francis is known for his humble lifestyle. He prefers being in charge of his daily routine. He maintains a steadfast, simple but effective work ethic.
Start of the Day
The day begins early for the pope at about 4:30 a.m. He spends the next 2 hours in silent prayers and meditation. He reads the scripture and prepares for his morning homily.
He celebrates a private Mass held at the Santa Marta chapel at 7:00 a.m. In attendance are those who work in the Vatican.
He dresses modestly in a simple liturgical cloth and prefers to dial down on grand entrances. When mass concludes, he takes a moment to pray with a chosen few of the attendees. He then leaves and ensures to greet and bless everyone gathered outside in the atrium.
Thereafter, the pope walks a short distance to the hotel dining room for breakfast. He routinely has this meal at 8:00 a.m. at his regular spot and never dines by himself.
Start of Work
After breakfast, Francis takes an elevator up to the second floor. He has converted the entire floor into his home office. He settles in and gets to work. On a typical day he spends this time writing epistles or formal communications and holds private meetings.
On Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. and Sunday at noon, the pope addresses a public audience gathered at St. Peter’s Square.
He occasionally takes breaks to recite the rosary and read the scripture.
Afternoon Break
At 1:00 p.m. the pope heads down to the Santa Marta dining room for lunch. He likes to snooze after for about an hour between 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. At the age of 86, taking an afternoon nap enables him to reset and rejuvenate in order to have a productive end to the day.
He mostly spends the rest of the day holding private meetings and devotes evenings to correspondence.
Evening
Despite such a packed day, the pope still spares at least an hour of adoration in the evening. He confesses that sometimes he dozes off during the Vespers.
At 8:00 p.m. he heads back to the Santa Marta dining room for a self-service dinner. While Francis is not a picky eater, he likes his food at a particular temperature.
Once he’s done eating, he makes sure to thank the hotel staff before retreating to his quarters. He also thanks and wishes a good night to his Swiss Guard on his way up.
Pope Francis will have a quiet evening reading religious text before he retires at 9:00 p.m. He has not watched television since 1990.
What Does the Pope Eat?
Unlike his predecessors, Pope Francis maintains a simple lifestyle that extends to his menu.
A typical breakfast consists of a glass of freshly made orange juice and membrillo, a sweet pasta native to his home Argentina.
Lunch and dinner are more or less the same meals; usually a meal of meat, vegetable salad, fruit and wine. He enjoys skinless, baked chicken and meat over fish. Occasionally, Italian staples, most notably gnocchi and polenta will be on the menu.
Francis fondly reminisces about going out and having pizza after watching a football match.
In light of recent medical advice, however, the pope has had to reduce his carb intake.
Where Does the Pope Live?
After being elected, it is customary for the new pope to move into Papal Apartments located on the top floor of the Apostolic Palace. Since the 17th century, the papal apartments have been the official residence of the supreme pontiff.
Nonetheless, upon his election, Pope Francis declined to live in the palatial Apostolic Palace situated next to St Peter’s Basilica. He instead settled for a two-room residence in Domus Sanctae Marthae or House of Saint Martha, a hotel that was built in 1996 and serves as a guest house for visiting clergy.
Does the Pope Go on Vacation?
Though the pope is entitled to the papal summer retreat at Castel Gandolfo in the hills south of Rome, he is yet to go on vacation.
In contrast to his predecessors, Francis opts to stay home and reduce his day’s agenda during his vacation days.
He wakes up later than usual and spends the better part of the day listening to music, reading or praying. The pope is a fan of Dostoevsky and Gerard Manley Hopkins and has read “The Betrothed” by Alessandro Manzoni over and over.
