Pope Francis’s funeral on Saturday in St. Peter’s Square marks one of the most profound departures from centuries of papal ritual, reflecting his lifelong commitment to humility.
Francis, who died on Easter Monday at the age of 88, personally approved a series of reforms in 2024 that simplified the rites for a pope’s funeral and burial. Those changes, now coming into full view, offer a powerful final message about the kind of Church he led — one focused on service, not status.
Traditionally, papal funerals have involved elaborate displays: a raised bier with velvet cushions, three nested coffins (cypress, lead, and oak), and solemn rituals centered around St. Peter’s Basilica. Francis, however, rejected much of this pageantry.
Instead, his body rests in a simple, open wooden coffin lined with zinc, placed directly on the floor of St. Peter’s Basilica, without a raised platform. During the funeral, a white cloth will cover his face, and his coffin will contain a brief document about his time as pope along with a symbolic bag of coins.
In another notable decision, Pope Francis chose not to be buried in the Vatican’s grottoes beneath St. Peter’s Basilica, where most of his predecessors are interred. He instead requested burial in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, one of Rome’s oldest and most cherished Marian churches.
Francis often visited Santa Maria Maggiore before and after his apostolic journeys, praying before the famous icon of the Virgin Mary, Salus Populi Romani. His devotion to Mary was a core part of his spiritual life.
In his will, Francis wrote: “I ask that my mortal remains rest, awaiting the day of resurrection, in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major. I wish that my tomb be simple, without particular ornamentation, bearing only the inscription: Franciscus.”
Following the funeral Mass, his coffin will be carried in procession to Santa Maria Maggiore. A group of homeless people—symbolizing Francis’s lifelong commitment to those on the margins of society—will be present to offer their final respects.
His burial marks the first time in over a century that a pope has chosen to be buried outside the Vatican. The last was Pope Leo XIII, who died in 1903.
The revised funeral ceremonies, detailed in the 2024 Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis, present the pope primarily as the Bishop of Rome and a servant of Christ, rather than a worldly monarch.
Archbishop Diego Ravelli, Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, explained in an interview with Vatican News that the changes were intended “to emphasize the pope’s role as a pastor and follower of Christ,” rather than as a figure of political or royal power.
The Pope’s funeral begins nine days of mourning known as the novendiali. Meanwhile, preparations for the conclave—the secret meeting of cardinals to elect Francis’s successor—are expected to begin in mid-May.
