Il Papa has shuffled this mortal coil, which means it’s time for an elaborate state funeral. Since it’s THE VATICAN, it will be colorful, dogmatic, ritualistic, and arcane. Some of our favorite things! If you’re into this type of thing, now would be a good time to watch Conclave or re-read The Da Vinci Code. In the meantime, I got you covered on the death rituals. I had a fondness for this pope, who took the name of St. Francis and spoke in favor of protecting people and the earth.Â
The Vatican is actually a city state within Rome, its own little country, and the Pope the head of state there. He’s not just a religious figure, but a political one, so his funeral is both a religious and state proceeding. State funerals have specific customs and serve state purposes – public mourning, transfer of power, patriotic ends. The Catholic Church is old and powerful, and the funerals for its leaders are complicated and symbolic, but serve a similar purpose. Everyone right now is wondering who the next pope will be, and the election is essentially part of the funeral process.Â
Papal funerals are governed by the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis, or the Rite of Burial for Roman Pontiffs (I DON’T SPEAK LATIN I’M NOT AN OVERACHIEVER LIKE THAT I AM RELYING ON WIKIPEDIA DON’T AT ME). Pope Francis actually amended this order in 2024, in an attempt to make the process simpler and less wasteful. How St. Francis of him! You’ll notice I didn’t say Franciscan because that order was shady. IDK what they’re up to now, but they operated the mission systems in California, which were famously not great for the people already living here and decidedly not Francis-like.Â
Photo by Nicolas Weldingh on Unsplash
Post-Death Rituals – First Station
The Order describes the various post-mortem rituals as Stations. During Station One, the Pope’s death is certified by the Vatican. His Chief of Staff, the Camerlengo, is in charge of these proceedings. Right now, that’s Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, an Irish American. Once he is declared dead, the Pope’s ring is removed and broken. The ring was originally used as a seal, to prove the authenticity of Papal documents, but now it serves a symbolic function. The broken ring will be buried with Pope Francis. The Pope’s rooms are sealed off, and his body is moved to his private chapel, where all rituals will be conducted until the funeral. Bells ring at the Vatican, and flags go to half staff.Â
Viewing Rituals – Second Station
Station Two governs the public viewing of the Pope’s body. He will lie in state at St. Peter’s Basilica until his funeral on Saturday morning. “Lying in state” is a term of art that refers to the display of a public leader in a state building for the public to visit and mourn. Since the Vatican is a sovereign state, and the Basilica its most important building, Pope Francis is lying in state. Dignitaries and regular people will come and see him laid out in his 2024 Ordo Exsequiarum edition casket – wood with a zinc liner. I assume the Pope has been embalmed, because the viewing is in an open casket.Â
True story about St Peter’s – Brandon and I went there in 2006. It was Italy in September – still hot as fuck, but I knew that they would be strict about the dress code, so I wore long pants and a shirt with Âľ inch sleeves to cover my sexy sexy shoulders. We hired a guide, an American student living in Rome who was, like, 22 and dressed like all the other 22 year olds in Rome. When we got into the church, she put a shawl on that looked like a spider web. It was a mere idea of a shawl, it was a nod to a shawl, it was giving malicious compliance. We were halfway through the tour when a grouchy old docent came up to us, barked out some Italian, and pointed at my chest. If I didn’t actually hear him say puttana, it was heavily implied. Our guide, in her crop top and spider web, simply said “sure, sure, we’ll leave” and redirected us to another part of the church. Turns out our pious church guardian just hated Americans, how UN-FRANCIS-LIKE of him.Â
Funeral and Burial – Third Station
Station 3 of the Order is the state funeral and interment. The funeral will be held this Saturday, April 26, and I’m sure it will be televised and streamed all over the world. The funeral mass will be held in Piazza San Pietro, outside of the basilica, so that the public can attend. It will be attended by world leaders and every day people alike. 2 million people attended Pope John Paul II’s funeral in 2005, many fewer for Benedict XIV in 2023. Pope Francis is pretty well liked and admired, so a huge turnout is expected. Maybe the Trump family will show up in their Addams Family cosplay again!!!
The interment, or burial, of the Pope is also part of Station 3. Before Francis’ changes to the Order, popes were buried in three caskets – alternating wood and lead – like little pontifical nesting dolls. The new rules also allow the deceased Pope to be buried somewhere other than St. Peter’s, and Pope Francis chose Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore for his own final resting place. Santa Maria is an active papal parish with a museum and holy relics on site. It is decorated with important artwork and frescoes. Pope Francis will be buried with papal coins minted in his name, his broken ring, and a one page account of his papacy that will also be read aloud at his funeral.Â
Once the funeral is over, arrangements will be made to select a new pope. I’m sure there will be a huge internet blitz over #popewatch 2024, so I’ll let other outlets handle that. I could point you to some resources but really you should just go watch Conclave!!
Requiescat in pace
This Pope, named Jorge Mario Bergolgio, chose to be called after Saint Francis, and I think he sincerely wanted to emulate that saint. Francis is my favorite saint – he loved people and animals and strove to care for them as his way of honoring God. My own beloved city is named for him, and if I had to pick one to emulate (or decorate a bird bath in my yard true story) it would be him. So, despite the MYRIAD problems of the Catholic Church, and some of its sexist, retrograde positions, I vibed with this pope. As far as popes go, he was a good one. He advocated for human rights, fair treatment of migrants, to end the cruel and inhumane death penalty, and to protect the earth and her environment. Millions of people around the world—religious or not—join me.Â