Pope approves new papal funeral rites to simplify ritual

NICOLE WINFIELD

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has overhauled the burial rites that will be used after his death, simplifying the rituals to emphasize his role as a simple bishop and allowing burial outside the Vatican in accordance with his wishes.

The Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano on Wednesday published details of the updated liturgical book, which Francis approved on April 29 and which replaces a previous edition last published in 2000.

Francis turns 88 in December and, despite some health and mobility issues, appears to be in great shape. On Wednesday, he presided over an energetic audience that included children who spontaneously burst onto the stage.

While popes often tinker with the rules governing the conclave that will choose their successor, a review of papal funeral rites appears to have become necessary following the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on December 31, 2022.

The Vatican had to organize the funeral of the first retired pope in 600 years, and a few months later Francis said he was working with the Vatican’s master of liturgical ceremonies, Monsignor Diego Ravelli, to review papal funeral rites and simplify them.

In a 2023 interview with Mexican broadcaster Televisa N+, Francis also said he decided to be buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, rather than in the grottoes beneath St. Peter’s Basilica, where most popes are buried.

Ravelli said the new reform simplifies funeral rites, including eliminating the requirement that the pope be placed on a raised bier in St. Peter’s Basilica for public viewing. Rather, he will be displayed in a simple coffin, and burial will no longer require the traditional three coffins of cypress, lead and oak.

This simplification, according to Ravelli, is intended to “further emphasize that the Roman Pontiff was buried as a shepherd and disciple of Christ, and not as a powerful man of this world.”

Since his election in 2013, Francis has eschewed the pomp often associated with the papacy to emphasize his role as bishop of Rome and minister of the “church of the poor.” The Argentine Jesuit lives in a Vatican hotel rather than the Apostolic Palace, and travels in small Fords or Fiats rather than fancy SUVs.

His desire to be buried in Santa Maria Maggiore reflects his veneration of the icon of the Virgin Mary located there, Salus populi Romani (Salvation of the People of Rome).

After each trip, Francis goes to the basilica to pray in front of a Byzantine-style painting of Mary in a blue robe holding the baby Jesus, who in turn holds a bejeweled golden book.

“This is my greatest devotion,” Francis told N+, revealing his future funeral plans. “The place has already been prepared.”

Associated Press religion coverage receives support from the AP’s partnership with The Conversation US, with funding from the Lilly Endowment Inc. AP is solely responsible for this content.

Originally published: November 20, 2024 01:32 PM EST