The preparations started for the funeral of the late Pope Francis, who will be buried at the St. Mary Major basilica in Rome.
The death of a pope triggers a series of meticulously planned rites and traditions which take place well before the start of the conclave to choose his successor.
These solemn events begin with the official confirmation of his death, followed by the public vision of his body, allowing the faithful to offer their latest respect.
Last year, Pope Francis reformed the rites to use for his funeral, aimed at aligning with modern theological and pastoral practices, while honoring and respecting the church's long -standing traditions.
The fundamental elements remain, including the three key moments which must be observed between the death of a pope and his burial.
However, notable changes include the elimination of the traditional system with three boxes – formerly in cypress, lead and oak. Instead, the Pope's body will be placed directly in a single coffin.
The late pope will also be now in rest in the closed coffin, rather than displaying at the top of a beer, as was usual in previous papal funerals.
The reform also allows formal confirmation of the death of a Pope to take place in his personal chapel instead of his room.
Pope Francis resided in a modest suite of the Vatican Santa Marta guest house rather than the more formal apostolic palace, and he has a private chapel in Santa Marta where confirmation could occur.
On Tuesday, the cardinals met at the Vatican to finalize the preparations for the funeral and the next conclave to choose his successor.
According to the Vatican, around 60 cardinals attended the initial meeting to determine the following steps which followed the death of the Pope.
They agreed that the public would be allowed to pay tribute from Wednesday, once the coffin of the pope placed in the Saint-Pierre basilica.
Although no date has yet been set at the conclave to elect the new Pope, the current church protocols indicate that he cannot start before May 5.
To help during the “vacant sede” – the period between the popes – three cardinals were appointed to support Camelengo, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, in the Vatican administration.
The selected persons are Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of the Vatican; Cardinal Stanisław Ryłko of Poland, arch’s of the Basilica of St. Mary Major where Pope Francis will be put at rest; And Cardinal Fabbio Baggio, a senior manager of the Vatican office for development and migration.
ADVERTISEMENTFuneral and burial were scheduled for Saturday.
