Mourning the Pope An official mourning period of nine days, called the Novemdiales*, begins when a Pope dies. The day of death is counted as the first day of this period. On each of these nine days the Mass of each Cardinal must be a funeral rite for the Pope. The Missal provides a Mass formula "For a Deceased Pope," and the Liturgy of the Hours an Office of the Dead, which can be used during this time, if the liturgical season permits. In 2005, since Pope John Paul II died during the Octave of Easter, the initial rites celebrated...