Il Quotidiano announced a change in the funeral ritual of the Pope

The funeral of Pope Francis will take place with some changes to the traditional ritual. This time, the ceremony will be modest, without the hearse and the closing ceremony of the coffin. Il Quotidiano newspaper writes about this on April 21.

The publication notes that Francis, who aspired to restraint, spoke in the last years of his life about the need to revise and simplify the rules for his own funerals.

"The funeral rite, inherited from Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, was too overloaded for Francis, with many unnecessary elements that he considered outdated and which he wanted to change in favor of a lighter and more restrained ritual corresponding to his style," the publication says.

So, according to the changes, the body of the pontiff will not be displayed to express reverence by believers on the hearse. In addition, there will be no closing ceremony for the coffin. At the same time, instead of two vigils, there will be only one, the publication says.

In addition, after the completion of the ritual, the deceased pope will have to be transferred to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, located in Rome, the capital of Italy. It was there that he wanted to be buried, since the icon of the Mother of God Salus Populi Romani, with which the pontiff was strongly associated, is located within its walls, the article notes.

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