(MENAFN- Live Mint) Pope Francis, known for his humility and rejection of extravagance, has announced that he will forego many of the traditional and elaborate funeral customs observed for previous popes. The Vatican revealed the changes in a new formal rite published on Wednesday.
Wooden casket instead of traditional three-layer coffin
The pope will be buried in a single, zinc-lined wooden coffin, abandoning the centuries-old tradition of interlocking caskets made of cypress, lead, and oak. This decision reflects Francis' commitment to simplicity and his broader efforts to modernize church traditions, according to Reuters.
No public viewing on a Catafalque
Unlike his predecessors, Pope Francis ' body will not be displayed atop a raised platform, or catafalque, for public viewing in St. Peter's Basilica. Instead, visitors will be invited to pay their respects while his body remains inside the casket, with the lid removed.
Burial at Basilica of St. Mary Major
Breaking another tradition, Pope Francis has chosen to be buried at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome, a site dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God. This makes him the first pope in over a century to be buried outside the Vatican . This basilica, dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God, holds special significance for Francis, as it is where he prays before and after his international trips.
The last pope to be buried outside the Vatican was Leo XIII in 1903, who rests at the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome.
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The Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff has produced and realeased the second edition of the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis, approved on 29 April 2024 by Pope Francis, who received the first copy of the printed volume on 4 November, Vatican news reported.
"A second edition became necessary. 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 expresses the faith of the Church in the Risen Christ," told Archbishop Diego Ravelli, Master of Apostolic Ceremonies, to Vatican News.
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Archbishop Ravelli also noted that "the renewed rite also needed to emphasise 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."
Health and recent activities
Despite occasional health issues, including knee and back pain that have confined him to a wheelchair, Pope Francis has remained active. The pope, who turns 88 on December 17, embarked on two demanding foreign trips in September and presided over a month-long summit of Catholic leaders in October.
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Pope Francis first shared his wish to simplify papal funeral rites last year, aiming to move away from the elaborate ceremonies of the past. This decision aligns with his broader efforts to lead a more modest papacy, emphasizing humility and accessibility.
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