Pope Francis says he wanted to be buried in a simple wooden coffin when the time comes for his funeral.
According to a new formal rite, the Vatican said that the pope requested to be buried in a single, zinc-lined wooden coffin instead of following the centuries-old tradition of burying previous popes in three interlocking caskets made of cypress, lead, and oak.
Originally, popes are buried in three caskets to create an airtight seal around the body.
Pope Francis has avoided the pomp and privilege of being a pope of the Catholic Church, even in his funeral. The Vatican said that the late pope will not be put on display on a raised platform in St. Peter’s Basilica for visitors to view, as was the case with the previous popes. Instead, his body will be left in the humble wooden coffin with the lid off.
Nevertheless, visitors will still be able to pay their respects.
Pope Francis will be the first pope to be buried outside the Vatican in over a century. He requested his burial at Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major, instead of being buried alongside the 91 previous popes in St. Peter’s Basilica.
The last pope buried outside the Vatican in Rome’s Basilica of St. John Lateran was Leo XIII in 1903.
The pope will be turning 88 on December 17, 2024. Although he has experienced illnesses in the past few years, he still appears to be healthy in recent months.
In September, he had two foreign travels that demanded a lot from his health as well as a month-long summit for Catholic leaders in October, but he persevered and used a wheelchair due to knee and back pain.
Pope Francis is well known for his humility. In 2016, the pope ordered to have his life-sized statue removed after it was erected in his honor in Buenos Aires. He also prefers to be called ‘Bishop of Rome,’ rather than ‘Pope,’ in his official signatures and speeches.
