Vatican news reports that the new edition of the funeral rite for the Roman pontiff has been officially published and released, following the pope’s approval on April 29 of this year:

A number of new elements for papal funerals have been introduced. The ascertainment of death will no longer take place in the room of the deceased but in the chapel, and his mortal remains will be placed immediately inside the coffin.

The faithful will be able to venerate the Pope’s body inside the open coffin, and the tradition of having three coffins of cypress, lead, and oak has been eliminated.

The liturgical book was presented as a new edition following its predecessor, the editio typica of the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis approved in 1998 by Saint John Paul II and published in 2000, which was used in the funeral of the same Pontiff in 2005 and, with adaptations, in those of Pope Benedict XVI in 2023.

Archbishop Diego Ravelli, Master of Apostolic Ceremonies, said that the new edition was necessary, “first of all because Pope Francis has requested it, as he himself has stated on several occasions of the need to simplify and adapt certain rites so that the celebration of the funeral of the Bishop of Rome may better expresses the faith of the Church in the Risen Christ. … the renewed rite also needed to emphasize even more that the funeral of the Roman Pontiff is that of a pastor and disciple of Christ and not of a powerful person of this world.”

This is a theme that Pope Francis has repeatedly emphasized, such as in his letter last month to the newly-appointed cardinals, where he wrote, “I assure you of my prayers that the title of ‘servant’ (deacon) will increasingly eclipse that of ’eminence.'”

The funeral of Pope Benedict XVI in early 2023 was modified by necessity because many of the rites were established under the assumption that the reigning pope had died, not a retired one. Although Benedict requested a simple funeral, many of Francis’s critics expressed outrage over certain aspects of the ceremony. British journalist Damian Thompson complained about the transportation of Benedict’s casket, writing, “the shocking thing about that photo is that Benedict XVI, the greatest Catholic theologian of the 20th century as well as a revered pontiff, is being loaded into a white van. OK, so it’s an undertaker’s vehicle, and everyone is behaving with due reverence, but what was the Vatican thinking? The optics are terrible: Benedict looks like a piece of furniture.”

Traditionalists complained that Benedict’s funeral used Eucharistic Prayer III rather than the Roman Canon (known today as Eucharistic Prayer I). The traditionalist blogger-priest Fr. John Zuhlsdorf wrote, “The choice to use the 3rd Eucharistic Prayer instead of the Roman Canon was tantamount to an insult, all the blather aside about how Benedict used it from time to time and how ‘wonderful’ it is supposed to be.” Zuhlsdorf failed to note that it was reported that Benedict requested Eucharistic Prayer III for his funeral Mass.

Francis will be the first pope in over a century to be buried outside St. Peter’s Basilica, opting instead to be buried in St. Mary Major. Last year, Philip Pullella of Reuters reported:

Francis said that because of his devotion to Mary, the Mother of God, he has decided to be buried in Rome’s Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, where he traditionally goes to pray before and after each of his foreign trips. The funeral Mass itself would be expected to be held in St. Peter’s Square.

Many popes are buried in the crypts beneath St. Peter’s Basilica. The last pope to be buried outside the Vatican was Leo XIII, who died in 1903 and is buried in the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome.

I wrote about this decision last year.

It seems the new funeral rites for the Roman Pontiff reflect both Benedict’s and Francis’s desire for simplicity and the pope’s role as a pastor and disciple, not a figure of worldly power. This aligns with the Church’s turn towards a more humble, synodal, and missionary Church centered on Christ. While some traditionalists may criticize these updates, they appear to be in line with the vision of the Church laid out by the Second Vatican Council. Ultimately, a pope’s true legacy lies in his witness to the Gospel and dedication to Christ, not in elaborate ceremonies.

Image: Vatican Media

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Mike Lewis

Mike Lewis is the founding managing editor of Where Peter Is. He and Jeannie Gaffigan co-host Field Hospital, a U.S. Catholic podcast.