The coffin of Pope Francis is sealed during a private ceremony in the Saint-Pierre basilica, after some 250,000 people in mourning paid tribute.
By Anne PRECKELL
On the eve of the funeral mass of Pope Francis, his coffin was solemnly sealed.
The pope had been lying in the state of the Saint-Pierre basilica since Wednesday. After the huge crowds of visitors – a total of around 250,000 – in the last three days, St Peter’s has emptied while the last people in mourning paid tribute.
The Pope’s coffin is sealed (Vatican Media Divisione Foto)
Rite to seal the coffin
The deceased pope lay in the state before the Confess Altar in a wooden coffin, wrapped in a red chasuble, with a white miter and a rosary joined in his hands – the coffin resting in the ground, without catafalque. It was Francis’ own decision.
The ceremony, led by Cardinal-Camerlengo Kevin Farrell, began with the reading of a document listing the stages of the life of Jorge Mario Bergoglio and his most important activities as a pope. He said that the memory of the 266th pope “remains at the heart of the Church and all of humanity”.
Among the milestones mentioned were his stay in Germany at the end of the 1980s and his multifaceted work in Argentina: “He was a simple and popular pastor in his archdiocese, who traveled far, even by metro and bus. He lived in a dish and prepared his own food because he felt like a normal person.”
The coffin, now sealed (Vatican media)
Face cover
Archbishop Diego Ravelli dismissed a white silk fabric on the pope’s face, while Cardinal-Camerlengo Farrell sprinkled Francis with holy water. A bag containing pieces and medals struck during his pontificate was then placed in the coffin with the Pope.
The cover was then placed on the zinc coffin, as well as the cross and the coat of arms of Francis and a plaque with the name of the Pope and the duration of his life and his ministry of Petrine, while the psalms were sung. After the zinc coffin was sealed, the Cardinal-Camerlengo seals and the prefecture of the Papal House, the Liturgical Celebrations Office and the Vatican Chapter were printed. The wooden coffin, which carries a cross and the coat of arms of the deceased pope, was then sealed.
