Late last year, Francis approved a simplified procedure for papal funeral rituals, setting the stage for his own mourning.
This simplicity is relative, especially when compared to the grandeur of centuries of Roman Catholic tradition.
On Wednesday morning, a procession took place as Francis’ coffin was carried from the Casa Santa Marta, the guesthouse where he lived, to St. Peter’s Basilica, where his body will lie in state for three days.
The pope’s remains will be placed beneath the basilica’s 380-foot-high Renaissance dome, adorned with gilding and beautiful mosaics, in front of the bronze canopy created by Bernini for the high altar.
However, the coffin rests on a low pedestal rather than a bier, and plans for a private viewing at the Apostolic Palace for cardinals and dignitaries were omitted. The coffin did, however, spend some time for quiet farewells in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta.
St. Peter’s Basilica will not be the final resting place for Francis. He requested to be buried at the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, where he prayed before and after each journey during his papacy. His will specifies a simple tomb “in the earth,” marked with a single-word inscription: “Franciscus.”