Is a hammer used to confirm the death of a pope?

The Catholic Church tends to remain silent when it comes to its rites surrounding a deceased pope, but a lot is known about it. Now, with the death of the Pope Emeritus ( strictly speaking, a Bishop Emeritus), Benedict XVI emerged.
An old rumor is revived: Supposedly three blows of the hammer on the forehead are used to verify whether the Pope is really dead. Does this method really exist? Or did they exist in the past? At least there are clues...

The claim

A photo of a decorated hammer has appeared on several online platforms in recent days, along with the claim that it is used to verify the Pope's death. One post in particular on Twitter is shared very frequently and distributed as a screenshot

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In English, the tweet reads: “ My favorite news is that they hit dead popes three times in the head with a special hammer. Just to make sure they're actually dead. “

Well, if you hit hard enough with a hammer, you could actually “make sure” someone is dead. Also a lot of “ Knock knock knock, is anyone else in there? “Jokes come in handy. But we are interested in whether this method is really used or is it just a myth.

The claim has only been around since 2003

Especially in this day and age, it seems very bizarre when a few (probably light) blows to the head are supposed to confirm the death of a pope, since there are now much more effective medical methods. And if a pope is unconscious or in a coma, even three hammer knocks won't wake him up.

___STEADY_PAYWALL___

What is striking is that many media outlets have been describing the method in recent years, but only since 2003 - before that, the hammer method was not mentioned anywhere. There is also a reason for this: In September 2003, the following paragraph could be read in an article HERE

“After the Pope's death, confirmed by a blow with a silver hammer on the forehead and the calling of his baptismal name to make sure he is not just sleeping, the cardinals will meet at the Vatican within two weeks to take part to discuss the choice of his successor in great secrecy.”

Source: The Guardian

In an archive version of the article (see HERE ), it is more clearly visible that the article has been transparently corrected regarding this paragraph. Above the article it says:

" The following correction was printed in the Guardian's Corrections and Clarifications section on Tuesday 25 November 2003.

The article below contained the claim that a pope's body is ritually struck on the head with a silver hammer to ensure there is no sign of life. According to the Vatican, this is a myth.”

Source: The Guardian, archived page

So now we have statement against statement: Journalist Stephen Bates, religious affairs correspondent at The Guardian, claims it is, but the Vatican calls it a myth. So who is right?

2005: “Yes, this method used to exist”

Two years later there was a press release from the AP/AFP that can still be found on some news sites, for example HERE . The article is about signs and rituals surrounding the death of a pope, and the hammer is also mentioned in two places:

“The papal chamberlain (Camerlengo) approaches the pontiff’s deathbed, taps him three times on the forehead with a silver hammer and calls his name three times.”

But a few paragraphs later this statement is put into perspective:

“As for the silver gavel, it was actually used for centuries to verify the death of the Pope until that practice was discontinued with the reforms of the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s.”

But it can also be done earlier! In the book “ The Deaths of the Popes: Comprehensive Accounts, Including Funerals, Burial Places and Epitaphs ,” the author writes that the hammer method was used earlier but was discontinued as early as 1676.

But the hammer is still used today

But there is at least one use that the hammer still has at the death of a pope, and which is also secured:
the hammer is used with a chisel to destroy the fisherman's ring, the papal signet ring and the lead seal of his pontificate no one could posthumously fake papal approval of anything during the interregnum.

If you like it visually: Here is a scene from the film “ Illuminati ”, which for once does not come from Dan Brown’s pure imagination, but shows the verified use of the hammer:

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Conclusion

So the hammer actually exists, and it is certain that it is used to destroy the signet ring, the fisherman's ring and the lead seal.

In earlier times, there were many bizarre methods to check the death of a person: from harmlessly holding a candle in front of the mouth and nose to boiling water to red-hot iron, everything possible was used to ensure that someone was not just apparently dead - because The fear of being buried alive still exists today.

The hammer method appears to have actually existed in the past, at least according to some reports, but it is relatively unlikely that it is still used today. And if so, then perhaps only as a tradition - but the Vatican might not want to admit that, as it sounds a little silly from today's perspective.

We emphasize the “maybe” – hammer marks on the head would not leave a good impression during a post-mortem examination!

Further sources:

Snopes , Turkana County News , Weird Catholic

Also interesting: A photo is said to show Ukrainian First Lady Olena Selenska dressed in luxury brands on a private jet “while her country is dying”.
But it is a clumsy photomontage. – Fake: The photo of Olena Selenska in a private jet