Pope Francis approved in April an updated version of the book of the funeral rites of the Popes, written by the Office of Papal Liturgy.
Vatican News
Papal Office of Liturgical Celebrations Ordo Exesquiarum Romani Pontificis He produced and published the second edition of the Holy See, approved by Pope Francis on April 29, 2024, who received the first copy of the printed volume on November 4.
Many new elements have been introduced for the funeral rites of the Holy Fathers. According to which, the determination of death will not be made in the deceased’s room but in the chapel and his body will be immediately placed inside the coffin.
Devotees will pay their respects to the Pope’s mortal remains inside an open coffin, and the tradition of having three coffins made of cypress, lead and oak has been abolished.
This liturgical book, like its previous editions, Ordo Exesquiarum Romani Pontificis It is presented as a new edition following the Typical Edicio of 1998, approved by Saint John Paul II in 1998 and published in 2000, which was used at the funeral of Saint John Paul II in 2005 and, later, was also performed at the funeral of the Pope Benedict XVI in 2023.
Archbishop Diego Ravelli, moderator of the Apostolic Ceremonies, said: “The second edition became necessary because, first of all, Pope Francis requested it, since he himself has said on several occasions that some rites needed to be simplified and adapted, so that the funeral rite of the bishop of Rome can better express the faith of the Church in the risen Christ.”
Archbishop Ravelli also stated that “the new ritual must further emphasize that the Pope’s funeral is that of a pastor and disciple of Christ, and not that of a powerful man of this world.”
