CNA details: Pope Francis’ remains post-death

By Hannah Brockhaus

Vatican City, Apr 21, 2025 / 13:48 pm

The Catholic Church has many historical customs and traditions related to the handling of a pope’s mortal remains between the time of his death and his burial.

Some of these customs have fallen out of use — such as hitting the pope three times with a hammer to confirm his death — or been removed over time through various papal reforms.

Most recently, Pope Francis made several changes to the funeral process in a second edition of the 1998 Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis, the Church’s liturgical book for the funeral rites of popes.

According to the master of papal ceremonies, Archbishop Diego Ravelli, the new edition of the liturgical book, issued in 2024, was requested by Pope Francis from a desire “to simplify and adapt some rites so that the celebration of the funeral of the bishop of Rome better expresses the Church’s faith in the risen Christ, eternal Shepherd.”

In the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis, the process is divided into three steps, called “stations.”

Here is what has happened and will happen to Pope Francis’ mortal remains prior to his burial.

First station

After the death of the pope, the director of the Vatican’s health services — currently Dr. Andrea Arcangeli — examines the body and prepares the certificate of death.