In a solemn ceremony held Friday evening inside St. Peter’s Basilica, the coffin of Pope Francis was officially sealed, marking the final rites before his funeral Mass began on Saturday morning.
The private ceremony attended by Vatican officials and some of the Pope’s family members followed three days of public mourning, during which nearly 250,000 people filed past the Pope’s body to pay their respects.
According to Vatican News, the deceased Pope lay in state in front of the Confessio altar in a wooden coffin, wrapped in a red chasuble, with a white mitre and a rosary clasped in his hands – the coffin resting at ground level, without a catafalque—a detail the late Pontiff had specifically requested.
The ceremony, led by Cardinal-Camerlengo Kevin Farrell, began with the reading of a document listing the stages of Jorge Mario Bergoglio’s life and his most important activities as Pope. It stated that the memory of the 266th Pope “remains in the heart of the Church and of all humanity”.
Among the milestones mentioned were his stay in Germany at the end of the 1980s and his multifaceted work in Argentina: “He was a simple and popular pastor in his archdiocese, who travelled far and wide, even by metro and bus. He lived in a flat and prepared his own food because he felt like a normal person.”
A white silk veil was then gently spread over the Pope’s face by Archbishop Diego Ravelli, followed by a blessing with holy water.
A bag containing coins and medals minted during his pontificate was then placed in the coffin with the Pope.
The lid was then placed on the zinc coffin, along with Francis’ cross and coat of arms and a plaque with the Pope’s name and the duration of his life and Petrine ministry, while psalms were sung.
After the zinc coffin was sealed, the seals of the Cardinal-Camerlengo and the Prefecture of the Papal Household, the Office for Liturgical Celebrations and the Vatican Chapter were imprinted. The wooden coffin, which bears a cross and the coat of arms of the deceased pope, was then sealed.
DECENCY GLOBAL NEWS reports that tens of thousands of mourners flooded into St Peter’s Square on Saturday for Pope Francis’ funeral.
Some people were said to have waited overnight to be first in the queue for the ceremony, attended by world leaders including US President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky — who may meet on the sidelines.
