Pope Francis, the spiritual leader of 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, died Monday morning at the Vatican after a long battle with lung disease. He was 88 and had served as pope for 12 years.
Following the spirit of humility that has characterized his entire pontificate, Pope Francis has left instructions that his funeral ceremony will be more modest than that of his predecessors. Instead of the traditional three coffins, he will be buried in a single wooden coffin covered in zinc.
His body will not be placed in a public catafalque in St. Peter’s Basilica, but will lie in a coffin with the lid removed for the faithful to pay their respects. He will be the first pope in more than a century to be laid to rest outside the Vatican, in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome, one of the four holy papal basilicas.
The entire funeral ceremony that will follow in the coming days will be carried out according to the bequests that Pope Francis has left.