The funeral of Pope Francis will depart from the traditional funeral proceedings of popes in several significant ways at the request of the late pontiff.
Francis died on Monday at the age of 88 after a severe bout of double pneumonia. Before he passed away, the Bishop of Rome made some stark changes to his funeral rites last year, breaking from the forms followed by his predecessors.
Popes have typically been laid to rest in the crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica. Francis directed that he should be interred in Rome’s St. Mary Major Basilica, to which the late pope had a “very strong” connection. Francis, as pope, visited St. Mary’s more than 100 times, according to the New York Post.
Francis’ coffin will also be a marked departure from tradition. Popes have typically been buried in a series of three interlocking coffins made of cypress, elm, and lead. Francis has directed that he…
