Elaborate rites before Pope is buried away from Vatican.

From the moment a pope passes, a meticulously choreographed sequence of rites and rituals unfolds, preceding the conclave that will ultimately choose his successor.

- NICOLE WINFIELD

These ceremonies, steeped in tradition, encompass the formal confirmation of death, the public viewing of the papal remains, the funeral mass and, finally, burial.

Pope Francis, who died yesterday, had already reshaped some of these customs last year. His revisions streamlined the funeral rituals, emphasising his role as a bishop, a shepherd among his flock. He also paved the way for burial outside the Vatican walls, reflecting his personal preferences. Despite these modifications, the fundamental elements of the transition remain, including three key moments observed between a pope’s death and his interment.

The reforms are incorporated into the slim red volume, Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis, Latin for “Rite of Burial for Roman Pontiffs”.

While popes often tinker with the rules regulating the conclave that elects their successor, a revision of the papal funeral rites hadn’t been undertaken since 2000.

The changes became necessary after Francis expressed his own wishes, and after Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI died on 31 December 2022. For Benedict, the Vatican had to work out the novelty of a funeral for the first retired pope in 600 years.

A few months later, Francis revealed he was working with the Vatican’s master of liturgical ceremonies, Archbishop Diego Ravelli, to overhaul the entire book of rites to simplify them.

In explaining the reforms, Ravelli said the changes aimed “to emphasise even more that the Roman Pontiff’s funeral is that of a pastor and disciple of Christ and not of a powerful man of this world”.

The declaration of death

The three main stations, or moments, occur first in his home, then in St Peter’s Basilica, and then in the place of burial.