The Pope's funeral will be different from that of previous pontiffs, as Francis approved changes and simplification of the funeral ritual to highlight his status as a faithful Christian in comparison to that of head of the Catholic Church.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who chose the name by which he wished to be known in homage to Saint Francis of Assisi, the saint of the poor, eliminated, for example, the requirement for popes to be buried in the traditional three coffins of cypress, lead and oak, opting for just one coffin.
According to a rule established in 1996 by John Paul II, papal funerals must take place between the fourth and sixth days after death, with his own taking place six days later.
Regarding the rite, in 2024 Francis approved a second edition of the "Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis", the liturgical book approved in 1998 by John Paul II and published in 2000.
Archbishop Diego Ravelli, master of liturgical celebrations, explained in November 2024, when the Pope received the first copy of the printed book, that Francis "asked [...] to simplify and adapt some rites so that the celebration of the funeral of the Bishop of Rome would better express the Church's faith in the Risen Christ".
"Furthermore, the renewed rite should further emphasize that the funeral of the Roman Pontiff is that of a pastor and disciple of Christ and not that of a powerful man of this world", he added, in statements to the Vatican news portal.
According to the new rules, the celebrations will maintain the three classic stages – the deceased Pope’s residence, St. Peter’s Basilica and the burial site – but the verification of death will now take place in the deceased’s private chapel, instead of the deceased’s bedroom, and the body must be placed in a wooden coffin with a zinc interior before being transferred to the basilica.
In this location, where the wake will take place, the body must be displayed directly in the coffin, and then, as Francis chose, buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, and not in the crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica, where most popes are buried.
Benedict XVI and his predecessor John Paul II were buried in the Vatican Grottoes, and the former’s funeral generally followed the model of that of a supreme pontiff, although he no longer holds the position and the role of a Pope Emeritus is not regulated.
The funeral ceremonies for John Paul II began on the day he died, 2 April 2005, with the intonation of the Psalm known as "De profundis" (from the depths) immediately after the announcement of his death and before the bells began to ring in the churches of Rome.
The body lay in state in St. Peter's Basilica, open to the public, from two days after his death until the day before his burial, on 8 April, a date decided by the College of Cardinals.
The funeral Mass, celebrated in the churchyard of the Basilica, lasted two and a half hours and the coffin was taken to the crypt where it was placed in a second and a third coffin before being buried under a tombstone with the dates of John Paul II's birth and death and his name inscribed in Latin.
The funeral was attended by nearly a million people, including around two hundred leaders from around the world, including the then President of the Portuguese Republic Jorge Sampaio, who sat in a grandstand in the churchyard of the Basilica, while millions around the world watched the ceremonies on television, on giant screens placed in squares, streets and churches.
Pope Francis died today, the Vatican announced through Cardinal Kevin Ferrell.
"At 7:35 this morning [6:35 in Lisbon], the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and his Church," Farrell said in the announcement.
Pope Francis was 88 years old and had recently been hospitalized due to bilateral pneumonia.
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