On the evening of Monday, April 21st, following the passing of Pope Francis, the world's television screens displayed the solemn act of sealing the papal apartments. High-ranking clergy meticulously affixed seals to the doors of both the Apostolic Palace and the Santa Marta house, the Pope's residence. This ceremonial act, perhaps more elaborate than strictly necessary, involved the Camerlengo and other prelates carefully verifying the closure and sealing of each room.
This spectacle prompted many, both Christian and non-Christian alike, to question the purpose of sealing the papal apartments. A simple, pragmatic answer would be to secure the Pope's documents until his successor assumes office. However, a deeper understanding reveals a far richer significance. The sealing of the papal rooms transcends mere practicality; it serves as a powerful public and solemn ritual, much like countless other secular rites within the Catholic Church, many of which lack obvious practical purpose. The act's significance lies in its historical precedent and its role within a broader framework of collective cultural practice. Cardinal Camerlengo Kevin Farrell's participation resonated with the actions of his predecessors, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone in 2013, Cardinal Eduardo Martínez Somalo in 2005, and countless others throughout history. This continuity underscores the ritual's enduring power.
Rituals: The Glue of Society
Viewed as a ritual, the sealing of the papal apartments mirrors many other societal ceremonies. Its structured formality is not dissimilar to the simple act of raising a glass in a toast, or even to more elaborate and publicly recognized ceremonies like a king's coronation, funeral rites, or the symbolic transfer of power, such as the passing of the bell between Italian Prime Ministers to signify the formation of a new government.
Rituals, anthropological and ethnographic research consistently demonstrates, are fundamental to all human civilizations. They shape traditions, incorporating repetitive and symbolic actions, particularly around "threshold" moments – significant transitions, including death. The death of a prominent figure like the Pope is a profound threshold experience, impacting the entire community.
The Anthropological Perspective on Ritual
Ernesto De Martino, a highly influential 20th-century scholar of ritual and popular religiosity, theorized that rituals mitigate the risk of irreversible disruption caused by critical and traumatic events. The consistent repetition of rituals acts as a counterbalance to the uncertainty of life's events, reinforcing community bonds and shared beliefs.
Often, the fundamental rites of one culture or religion appear bizarre and incomprehensible to outsiders. Many rituals lack explicit practical purpose; the sealing of a door to prevent access is a clear example. As American sociologist George Homans observed in the 1940s, we often define actions as rituals precisely because they "do not produce a practical result on the outside world."
The classic example is the rain dance: there's no causal link between the dance and the subsequent rainfall. Similarly, in Christian theology, the consecration of the bread and wine during the Eucharist doesn't produce an observable physical transformation. Yet, without this ritual, the bread and wine remain simply bread and wine; they lack the sacramental significance of the body and blood of Christ.
The Evolution of Rituals: From Practicality to Social Significance
A 2020 special issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B proposed that ritualization might stem from a human tendency to retain behaviors initially deemed beneficial for survival. The often-incomprehensible nature of many rites, including taboos and superstitions, may reflect the persistence of behaviors long after their original purpose has been forgotten.
Many food preparation or body cleansing rituals might have originated as disease prevention methods. Rites associated with death or other challenging life events may have evolved from practices offering comfort, eventually becoming integral to group identity. As psychologist Mark Nielsen of the University of Queensland explained to National Geographic in 2021, a behavior becomes ritualistic when its social meaning supersedes its practical function.
Nielsen contrasted ritual with individual practice: "When you learn to cook a certain dish, you probably copy a recipe, but once you've prepared it several times, you might start doing it your own way." Rituals, however, demand precise repetition, losing their functional value and gaining social value over time. This doesn't imply immutability; even the strictest Catholic rites can evolve, as exemplified by Pope Francis's modifications to papal funeral rites.
A 2011 study published in Science, encompassing 33 countries, partially supported this hypothesis regarding the original link between rituals and practical needs. The study revealed that in regions with frequent natural disasters, diseases, social instability, and violence, societies tend to be more rigid, exhibiting stronger social norms, less tolerance for deviance, greater religiosity, and a heightened emphasis on ritualized behaviors. Rituals often require predictable, synchronized actions, fostering crucial group cooperation in the face of danger. The COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health measures vividly illustrated the life-or-death importance of collective action.
Durkheim's Sociological Perspective on Ritual
The social value of religion was extensively explored over a century earlier by French sociologist Émile Durkheim, whose 1912 work, The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, remains highly influential. A staunch secularist and political activist, Durkheim posited that religious beliefs are inherently shared within a specific community. Group members are bound by their common faith, which underpins their moral principles.
In Durkheim's view, any church is simply a society whose members share a common worldview, distinguishing the sacred from the profane and translating these shared representations into collective practices. This distinguishes religion from magic; a "magical church" is impossible because widespread magical beliefs don't create enduring social bonds. Durkheim argued that there are no durable constraints among magicians and their clients, unlike the cohesive moral body of a religious community.
Rituals, Durkheim asserted, are actions connected to sacred objects; their purpose is to foster mutual connection among group members, prevent the erosion of shared beliefs, and revitalize the collective consciousness. Through rituals, the group periodically reaffirms its unity, and individuals reaffirm their social identity.
Rituals in a Secular Age
Applying Durkheim's perspective to a highly individualistic society, where faith is often perceived as primarily an inner conviction, presents challenges. As theologian Gordon Lynch noted in 2012, this requires viewing faith not as a "software program running in the individual's mind" but as an "intense but sporadic social experience, dependent on particular types of group activities."
Even atheists often express a need for ceremonies and rituals, a desire to communally celebrate life's milestones (marriages, births, etc.). Even in secular contexts, a formal and aesthetic dimension emerges, making it difficult to foster a sense of shared humanity without borrowing from traditional symbols, as journalist Suzanne Moore observed in The Guardian in 2013.
Rituals create a space apart from everyday life – a sacred space, though this isn't limited to religious contexts, as Moore illustrated with the Olympic opening ceremony. She added that while we may reject traditional religious frameworks, dismissing the human need for transcendence and connection as "stupid" is equally misguided.
The ritual of sealing the papal apartments, therefore, is more than a simple security measure; it's a powerful demonstration of shared faith, social cohesion, and the enduring human need for ritual. It highlights the intricate interplay between practical actions, symbolic meaning, and the evolution of cultural practices over time. The continued observance of this ritual across centuries underscores its profound significance within the Catholic Church and offers a compelling case study for understanding the broader role of rituals in shaping human societies.