What happens after the death of Pope Francis?
In 2024, Pope Francis changed the funeral rites for popes and simplified the ceremony, eliminating ancient rituals. His body will be buried in the Basilica of St. Mary Major at his own request.
With the death of Pope Francis on Monday, April 21, 2025, the Vatican activated a specific protocol that the Supreme Pontiff himself had recently reformed. In November 2024, the Pope approved a new edition of the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis, the document that regulates the funeral rites of a Pope. This update sought to simplify the ceremony, eliminate old rituals, and prioritize the spiritual aspect over protocol.
One of the most significant changes is the elimination of the traditional ritual by which the camerlengo confirmed the death of the pontiff by striking his forehead with a small silver hammer, repeating his baptismal name three times. Instead, verification of death is carried out privately in the chapel of the Apostolic Palace. The system of three coffins (cypress, lead, and oak) has also been abolished. The Pope's body is now placed in a single wooden coffin with a zinc interior.
The funeral Mass will be celebrated in St. Peter's Square, presided over by the dean of the College of Cardinals. According to the new regulations, titles alluding to the pontiff's earthly power will be avoided. Instead, terms such as "Bishop of Rome" or "Pastor" will be used, in keeping with the pastoral style that characterized Francis's papacy.
Another significant aspect is the burial place. Although popes are traditionally buried in the Vatican grottoes, Francis expressed his desire to be buried in Rome's Basilica of St. Mary Major, a place deeply linked to his Marian devotion.
After the burial, the period of Sede Vacante begins, during which the camerlengo administers the temporal affairs of the Church until the election of the new Pope. The process takes place through a secret conclave in the Sistine Chapel, where the cardinals vote until they reach a two-thirds majority. A white smoke announces to the world that there is a new pontiff. This will happen in the coming weeks.
Pope Francis also symbolically reshaped the papal image during his lifetime, choosing simpler vestments, reusing the crosiers of his predecessors, and maintaining an agenda focused on humility and closeness to the most vulnerable. However, one of the immutable symbols of the papacy remains the fisherman's ring, designed especially for each pope and destroyed after his death as a sign of the end of his pontificate.
Pope Francis' official residence was sealed after his death in the Vatican
A red ribbon and a wax seal marked the closing of the papal apartment, symbolizing the end of his pontificate.
The Vatican sealed Pope Francis' official residence following his death at the age of 88. The ceremony took place Monday afternoon with the placing of a red ribbon over the door handles of his apartment in the Apostolic Palace, followed by the pouring of liquid wax and the imprinting of the papal seal. This symbolic gesture marks the end of his pontificate and begins the period of sede vacante.
The person in charge of the ceremony was Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, the current Vatican camerlengo. In the video released by the Vatican, he can be seen supervising an official tying the ribbon and sealing the door. This tradition seeks to ensure the Pope's residence during the transition, although today its significance is more symbolic than practical.
Pope Francis was the first Latin American pontiff and one of the most influential of the last century. His message, centered on the poor, the environment, and domestic reform, left a profound mark. At the same time, his simple style contrasted with the formalities of the Vatican, making him a beloved figure for many inside and outside the Church.
Francis's farewell not only closes a cycle, but also inaugurates a new one, bearing the hallmark of his legacy: a more austere, more spiritual Church, less bound by the rules of worldly power. Will the next Pope continue his legacy?