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Preparing for Lying in State: The Science of Embalming Pope Francis Following His Death
The passing of Pope Francis, the first pontiff from Latin America, at the age of 88, has prompted preparations within the Vatican City. As the Catholic Church hierarchy prepares to convene and select his replacement, immediate attention turns to the process of preserving the late Pope’s body.
Embalming to Preserve the Pontiff’s Body
Rome’s warm and humid climate necessitates embalming to forestall rapid decomposition. While specific techniques have varied across papal history, Pope Francis’ body will likely undergo a process of blood removal and infusion with preservative agents.
Modern Embalming Techniques
The procedure typically involves opening veins in the neck to drain blood and introduce a solution composed of dyes, alcohol, water, and formaldehyde. This preservative mixture circulates through the circulatory system, displacing blood that would otherwise contribute to decay.
Formaldehyde acts to eliminate residual bacteria and stabilize cellular proteins, preventing enzymatic breakdown. This meticulous embalming will enable Pope Francis’ body to lie in state for three days, allowing hundreds of thousands of mourners to pay their respects without visible signs of decomposition.
Historical Methods vs. Modern Practices of Papal Embalming
Historically, preparation of deceased pontiffs involved traditional methods. These included organ removal and the application of herbs and oils to the skin. The body might also have been washed with lye to promote drying, and orifices were often packed with herbs, cotton, and wax to prevent fluid leakage during public viewing.
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However, since the 20th century, Vatican funeral practices have largely adopted conventional embalming techniques.
The Shift to Modern Embalming: From Pope Pius X to Present Day
Dr. Nikola Tomov, an anatomist from the University of Bern, noted in a research paper that Pope Pius X, who died in 1914, was the first pope to receive a ‘modern’ embalming. Despite his wishes to remain unembalmed, chemical treatment caused his body to turn brown upon exhumation.
The transition to modern methods was further solidified by the problematic embalming of Pope Pius XII in 1958.
Papal physician Riccardo Galleazi-Lisi, overseeing the process, believed he had rediscovered the technique used for Jesus’ body. Instead of refrigeration or fluid drainage, Galleazi-Lisi enclosed Pius XII in a plastic bag with herbs, spices, oils, and resins.
This approach drastically accelerated putrefaction. The body deteriorated so rapidly that Swiss Guards on watch duty had to be rotated every 15 minutes due to the overpowering odor.
Following this incident, standard modern mortuary procedures became the norm for preparing Papal remains.
The Modern Embalming Process: A Step-by-Step Guide
A typical embalming procedure commences with a thorough washing of the body to eliminate surface bacteria.
As rigor mortis sets in, causing muscle stiffening, the body becomes rigid, often forcing the mouth open.
Morticians then undertake cosmetic procedures to present the deceased in a natural manner.
This includes securing the eyes closed with plastic caps and wiring the jaw shut.
Cotton may be inserted into the jaw and around the mouth to create a relaxed facial expression, counteracting a potential ‘scowl’ from the wiring.
Body massage might be necessary to relax muscles, enabling arrangement into a reclining position.
Detailed Steps in Modern Embalming
Once positioned, a small incision is made above the collarbone to access the carotid artery and jugular vein.
These vessels are opened and connected to an embalming machine. Embalming fluid is pumped into the carotid artery, expelling blood through the jugular vein.
This fluid typically comprises preservatives like formaldehyde and alcohol, along with dyes for a lifelike skin tone.
Next, a large needle-like vacuum is inserted into the abdomen to extract fluids and intestinal contents before additional embalming fluid is introduced.
Complete removal of bodily fluids is crucial, both to make space for embalming fluid and eliminate decay-causing microbes.
Organs and Relics: Historical Practices of Papal Preservation
Historically, organ removal from deceased popes was practiced to aid preservation. Organs were sometimes separately embalmed as religious relics.
The Church of Saints Anastasio and Vincent in Rome holds the preserved liver, spleens, and pancreas of 22 popes.
However, organ removal ceased with Pope Leo XIII in 1903 when it was decreed that the Pope’s body must remain intact, diverging from Egyptian mummification traditions.
Organ donation by Popes after death is now forbidden; the body is considered property of the Church.
After incisions are closed, the body is washed, dressed, and prepared for presentation.
Modern Papal Embalming and Recent Practices
According to Massimo Signoracci, whose family has embalmed Popes since Pope John XXIII, this process has been standard for most modern Popes.
Signoracci infused Pope John XXIII’s body with 10 liters of a mixture containing ethyl alcohol, formalin, sodium sulphate, and potassium nitrate – a chemical also used in curing bacon. He stated in 2005 that after 37 years, Pope John XXIII appeared as well-preserved as the day after his death.
However, the Vatican indicates that some recent Popes, including Pope John Paul II in 2005, were merely ‘prepared’ for lying in state without full embalming.
Lying in State and Burial Traditions for the Pontiff
Following preparation, the Pope’s body is attired in red robes with a white mitre and taken to St. Peter’s Basilica to lie in state for three days.
Traditionally, three caskets were used for papal burials to create an airtight seal, preserving the body and allowing for the inclusion of symbolic objects.
This is important given that a Pope’s body may be exhumed for veneration or relocation, particularly during the sainthood canonization process. In the Catholic Church, lack of decay can be interpreted as divine intervention, supporting canonization.
Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis’s predecessor, was interred in a triple coffin after lying in state in St Peter’s Basilica in January 2023. His funeral was widely attended.
Changes to Papal Funeral Rites Under Pope Francis
New rites introduced last year indicate Pope Francis will be buried in a single zinc-lined wooden casket, a departure from tradition.
He also discontinued the practice of placing the Pope’s body on a raised platform, or catafalque, in St Peter’s Basilica during public viewing.
Instead, Pope Francis’s body will remain in his coffin, open until the night before the funeral, during the lying-in-state period, according to Vatican News.
Pope Francis will also be the first Pope in over a century to be buried outside the Vatican, choosing the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. He frequently visited this basilica and had already prepared his tomb there.
The last Pope buried outside St Peter’s was Leo XIII (1878-1903) at the Basilica of St John Lateran. Other Popes are also buried at Basilica of St Lawrence Outside the Walls and St John Lateran.
Almost all previous Popes, including Pope Benedict, are buried beneath St Peter’s Basilica.
The simplification of papal funeral procedures aims ‘to emphasise even more that the Roman Pontiff’s funeral is that of a shepherd and disciple of Christ and not of a powerful man of this world,’ according to Monsignor Diego Ravelli.