Through the Office of the Liturgical Celebrations of the Sovereign Pontiff, the Vatican has published the second edition of the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis, or the Order of Funeral for Roman Pontiffs, with concrete changes and modifications.

The first version was published in 2000 and used for the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005. With some minor adjustments (like the decision not to use the Roman Canon but the Eucharistic Prayer III), the same version was also used for the funeral of Pope Benedict XVI in 2023.

Several revisions of the liturgical book that regulates the funeral rite of popes were necessary upon the request of the current Roman Pontiff. According to Archbishop Diego Ravelli, Pope Francis wanted to simplify the rites by adapting certain rites “so that the celebration of the funeral of the bishop of Rome may better express the faith of the Church in the risen Christ.”

Aside from the simplification and uniformity of the pontifical titles, the clarification of the ritual’s structure, and the abolition of the Apostolic Chamber, three concrete revisions are as follows:

Pronouncement of Death. Once the pope dies, the ascertainment of his death should be done in the pope’s chapel, not in his room—not even in the hospital, if he dies there. Ravelli said, “The renewed rite also needed to emphasize even more that the funeral of Roman Pontiff is that of a pastor and disciple of Christ and not of a powerful person of this world.

With the revisions also come the instruction that the deceased pope’s mortal remains be placed immediately inside the coffin for the faithful to see.

Materials for the Coffin. In the new edition, the traditional use of three coffins of cyprus, lead, and oak is eliminated. The EWTN Vatican article also mentioned that, for public viewing, the deceased pope’s remains will be “in a simple, wooden coffin, not on a raised bier.”

Archbishop Ravelli also explained that the revisions are a response to contemporary theological and pastoral sensitivities not only to address the latest developments in the liturgical milieu.

Place of Burial. The deceased pope can now be buried outside the Basilica di San Pietro, outside the Vatican. One may recall that the Pope has often expressed where he wants to be buried—in the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, not in the crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica.

The burial Mass, the litany of the saints, and the novendial Masses (or the nine-day liturgical celebration in suffrage to the deceased pope after his burial) are also updated and modified.

Photo: @pvhenfernandez