How will Pope Francis be buried?

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The burial of a Pope follows a solemn and symbolic process. Here’s a guide to the declaration of death, burial site, casket, and other rituals, along with their meanings and significance.

Pope Francis, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, died at the age of 88 on Monday, April 21.

Prior to his death, the Vatican in November 2024, released a revised liturgical book simplifying the process and removing certain traditions to better reflect the Church’s faith.

“A second edition became necessary,” explained Archbishop Diego Ravelli, Master of Apostolic Ceremonies, “first of all because Pope Francis has requested it, as he himself has stated on several occasions of the need to simplify and adapt certain rites so that the celebration of the funeral of the Bishop of Rome may better express the faith of the Church in the Risen Christ.”

Ravelli also noted that “the renewed rite also needed to emphasize even more that the funeral of the Roman Pontiff is that of a pastor and disciple of Christ and not of a powerful person of this world.”

Declaration of death

A senior Vatican official, the camerlengo, formally declares the pope’s passing. This post is currently being held by Irish-American Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell.

Following tradition, the camerlengo calls the pontiff’s baptismal name three times. If there’s no response, the pope is declared dead. Francis’ birthname is Jorge Mario Bergoglio.

The Pope’s death is now certified in his private chapel rather than the room where he passes away.

The pope’s signet ring — the Fisherman’s Ring — is destroyed, symbolizing the end of his reign. The Vatican then seals off the papal documents using this ring.

POPE. Pope Francis wears his Fisherman’s Ring on a Christmas eve Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica on December 22, 2022.

After the pope’s passing, a nine-day mourning period known as the Novendiale commences.

The Philippines also typically declares a period of national mourning when a pope dies. In 2005, then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared national mourning for Pope John Paul II. Similarly, President Diosdado Macapagal did the same for Pope John XXIII, while President Ferdinand E. Marcos declared a mourning period for Pope Paul VI.

The Philippine flags of all government buildings and installations were flown at half-mast. 

In recent history, the Signoracci clan, a family from Rome, has embalmed several popes over the years, according to a CBS report. Their work includes preserving the remains of Pope John XXIII in 1963, and in 1978, Paul VI and John Paul I.

The embalmed hearts and organs of 22 popes are stored in marble urns at Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio a Trevi, a church near Rome’s Trevi Fountain.

Simple wooden casket

Francis wanted to break from tradition. Previous popes were placed on an elevated bier (Canaletto) for public viewing, but he will rest in an open coffin instead. 

BURIAL. Faithful pay homage to the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI as his body lies in state at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on Tuesday, January 3, 2023.

Unlike the previous popes who were buried in three interlocking caskets made of cypress, lead, and oak, Francis opted to be buried in a single, zinc-lined wooden coffin.

According to the Liturgical Arts Journal, popes are traditionally buried in red vestments, a practice rooted in Byzantine tradition. In a 2024 Rappler article, Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio “Ambo” David, the newly sworn-in 10th Filipino cardinal, explained that red symbolizes the blood of Christ and martyrdom.

As per tradition, the pope’s casket also contains his pallium, coins, medals from his papacy, and a Rogito, a document summarizing his life and legacy.

Burial site

For over a century, popes have been laid to rest in St. Peter’s Basilica. But Francis chose Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The last pope to be buried outside the Vatican was Leo XIII in 1903.

POPE. Pope Francis faces the altar at Rome’s St. Mary Major Basilica on January 22, 2019.

Out of 266 popes, 91 were buried in Saint Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Grottoes, including John Paul II and Pius XII. The first Pope buried in the Basilica was Saint Peter himself. It is located on the high altar.– with reports from Reuters/Rappler.com