NO SMOKE WITHOUT FORMALITY

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE POPE DIES? A TIMELINE OF RITUALS AND TRADITIONS

- STORY: ELISABETTA POVOLEDO AND MCKINNON DE KUYPER /NYT

The funeral for Pope Francis, who died last Monday, will follow a centuries-old tradition with rituals spanning several days and a viewing of his body for mourners from around the world.

IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE POPE'S DEATH Inside the Vatican, the ritual begins when a doctor is summoned to certify the pontiff's death, and write a report. The doctor then ensures that the body will be perfectly preserved for the viewing, and the pope's body is dressed in a white cassock. Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis, Latin for Rite Of Burial For The Roman Pontiff, a book introduced by the Vatican last year that simplifies papal burials, allows for the confirmation of death to take place in a pontiff's personal chapel rather than his bedroom.

The cardinal chamberlain, camerlengo in Italian, other Vatican officials and members of the pope's family will congregate in the chapel for a ceremony. The body is placed in a coffin made of wood and lined with zinc. The pope will be dressed in red, with his mitre and pallium, the traditional headdress worn by bishops and a strip of white wool worn like a collar, placed next to him.

The camerlengo arranges for the use of a ceremonial hammer to destroy the so-called fisherman’s ring, used by the pope to seal documents, to prevent forgeries. A new one will be forged when the next pope is elected.