camerlengo

noun

cam·​er·​len·​go ˌka-mər-ˈleŋ-(ˌ)gō 

plural camerlengos

: a cardinal who is appointed by the pope and charged with specific duties (such as certifying the pope's death and preparing a conclave) during a papal interregnum

The night before the funeral, the camerlengo presides over the closing and sealing of the coffin, in the presence of other senior cardinals.

—Nicole Winfield

Examples of camerlengo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The camerlengo places the Fisherman's Ring on the fourth finger of the pope's right hand, then kneels and kisses it. —Christopher Watson, ABC News, 8 May 2025

Farrell was appointed camerlengo by Pope Francis in 2019, replacing French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran following his death, according to the Catholic News Service. —James Powel, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025

There's a name for the person with that job: the camerlengo. —Rachel Treisman, NPR, 21 Apr. 2025

Who Is the Camerlengo? The camerlengo, or chamberlain, is the Vatican official tasked with overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Holy See during the sede vacante—the period between the death of a pope and the election of a successor. —Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Apr. 2025

The camerlengo will remove the papal ring from the pope’s finger, according to The New York Times. —Chantelle Lee, Time, 21 Apr. 2025

No cause of death was announced in a statement released by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Vatican camerlengo who will lead the church until a new pope is named. —Henry Chu, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Italian camarlingo

First Known Use

1614, in the meaning defined above