How Pope Francis' funeral is different from other popes

Pope Francis’ death has sparked tributes from across the world. The Latin American pontiff breathed his last on Monday (April 21) morning, a day after his final public appearance on Easter.

Francis was known for his humility and concern for the poor. The 88-year-old head of the Roman Catholic Church marked his 12-year papacy with a shift from tradition. His funeral will reflect the pope’s last wish to diverge from the norms and have a simple ceremony.

Let’s take a closer look.

Why Pope Francis’ funeral will be different

A pope’s funeral is generally an elaborate affair, spanning several days. It must take place between four to six days after his demise at St Peter’s Square, the huge plaza outside St. Peter’s Basilica, as per The Sydney Morning Herald.

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After the pope’s camerlengo, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, officially confirms the death, he then seals the residence of the pontiff and begins the funeral preparations, as per a Daily Mail article.

The camerlengo then ensures the destruction of the pontiff’s Ring of the Fisherman, which depicts St. Peter fishing from a boat, to prevent any unauthorised use. A new ring is forged when the next pope is elected.

Farrell and three appointed assistants will decide when the pope’s embalmed body, kept in a coffin, will be taken into St. Peter’s Basilica for public viewing. People from around the world, including international leaders, are expected to descend upon Rome to pay their last respects to Francis.

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Of the nine days of mourning declared by the Vatican, several days are usually to allow mourners to honour the pope lying in state at St Peter’s Basilica.

Last year, Pope Francis simplified the papal funeral rites, including scrapping the pontiff on an elevated bier in St. Peter’s Basilica. Instead, he will be kept in a simple coffin for public viewing.

This simplification is meant “to emphasise even more that the Roman Pontiff’s funeral is that of a shepherd and disciple of Christ and not of a powerful man of this world,” Vatican’s master of liturgical ceremonies, Monsignor Diego Ravelli, was quoted as saying by Associated Press (AP) last year.

Where will Pope Francis be buried?

Pope Francis has done away with three coffins made of cypress, lead and oak that the previous pontiffs were buried in.

Francis will be placed in a basic wooden coffin, and mourners can pay him respect while his body remains inside the uncovered coffin, reported BBC.

Cardinals set the date of the burial of the pope. Instead of the Vatican Grottoes, vaults beneath St Peter’s, where popes are usually buried, Francis’ final resting place is in the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome.

This is the first time a pope will be buried outside the Vatican in more than a century. His wish to be buried at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore showcased his reverence for an icon of the Virgin Mary located there, the Salus populi Romani (Salvation of the people of Rome), noted AP.

Vatican analyst Katie McGrady told CNN, “It is where the Salus Populi Romani, his favourite Marian image is kept and that image of Our Lady, Pope Francis would go and visit before every trip and he would visit it on his return.”

Francis had first revealed his desire to be buried at the basilica in December 2023, saying he felt a “very strong connection” with it.

“I want to be buried in Santa Maria Maggiore. Because it is my great devotion,” he said.

Noting the significance of the place, Christopher White, a Vatican correspondent for National Catholic Reporter, told _The Sydney Morning Herald, “_It’s a church that’s very close to him. He used to go there and pray during his visits to Rome before he became Pope. It’s quite fitting, in my estimation, that this man who was elected in 2013 as an outsider has chosen to be buried outside the Vatican. He didn’t like to be shackled by the Vatican. He often said when he travelled it was when he was at his freest because he viewed the Vatican as a prison. So it makes all the sense in the world that he wants to go to his eternal rest somewhere outside the Vatican walls.”

What happens next?

After Francis is laid to rest, the College of Cardinals will meet to vote for the pope’s successor in an election, known as a conclave.

Held in secret inside the Sistine Chapel, 138 cardinals of the total 252 members who are under the age of 80 are allowed to cast their vote. A majority of at least two-thirds plus one is needed to elect the new pope, who is asked at the end of the election if he accepts the papacy and the name he wants to take.

An official then burns the paper ballots with special chemicals to make the smoke emanating from the chapel’s chimney white. This indicates to the world that the new pope will be announced soon.

The newly elected pope then appears on St. Peter’s Basilica’s central balcony to give his first blessing to the world.

With inputs from agencies