Pope Francis breaks tradition with a simplified funeral plan approved last year, which includes the public viewing of his body in St. Peter’s Basilica. Unlike past popes, Francis will lie in an open coffin instead of on a raised platform to emphasize his role as a shepherd of Christ. His funeral will take place on Saturday, with mourners expected to pack into the Vatican for the service. While traditionally, popes are buried in the crypts beneath St. Peter’s Basilica, Francis will be the first pope in a century to be interred outside the Vatican. He has chosen the Santa Maria Maggiore basilica in Rome as his final resting place, departing from the tradition of three nested coffins with a single wooden and zinc coffin. The Vatican’s master of liturgical ceremonies explained that this simplification is meant to emphasize the spiritual rather than worldly power of the pontiff. This departure from tradition highlights Francis’s commitment to his role as a spiritual leader.
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