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Topics: Pope Francis, News
Gregory Robinson
Topics: Pope Francis, News
Pope Francis will be buried with three symbolic items, with the meanings behind them now being revealed.
On Easter Monday (21 April), the 267th Pope of the Catholic Church died at the age of 88.
A pope’s death is followed by a period of mourning lasting nine days, called novemdiales, and his body is currently lying in state at St Peter's Basilica where members of the public are paying their respects.
Pope Francis is expected to be buried at the ancient Basilica of St. Mary Major, which is just outside the walls of the Vatican, and the funeral is due to take place on Saturday, 26 April, 2025 at 10am local time (9am BST) in St. Peter’s Square.
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Donald Trump has confirmed both he and Melania Trump are ‘looking forward’ to being in Rome to attend the Pope’s funeral on Saturday. Other world leaders have also confirmed their attendance in advance, including Prince William and Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Pope Francis decided to scale back some elements of the funeral. His body will remain in the coffin and won’t be raised on a pedestal.
Similar to his predecessor, Pope Francis will be buried with items that symbolise his time as the leader of the Roman Catholic church.
One item is the pallium, a vestment that is only used by the Pope and metropolitan archbishops.
Another item is a rogito, which is a formal written document that summaries the highlights of Pope Francis’ time as leader.
The third item is a bag of silver, gold, and copper coins, equal in number to the years he served as Pope.
In 2023, he revealed a tomb had already been prepared for him at his favourite church, the Basilica of St Mary Major, which is based close to Rome’s main railway station. Despite being located in Rome, the church is considered Vatican territory.
While previous pontiffs have been buried in coffins made of cypress, lead and oak, it's reported that Pope Francis' coffin will simply be made from wood and lined with zinc, as per his request.
According to Crisis magazine, zinc is used in coffins as a cost-effective way to aid the longevity of a body.
Before he died, Pope Francis mapped out his wishes for a 'simple' tomb 'in the ground' bearing only the inscription 'Franciscus'—an ode to his papal name which is in honour of St Francis of Assisi, who was also praised for his progressive attitude and humility.