Objective is to slow the decomposition process, as the pontiff’s funeral should take days
After, on Monday (21.br.2025), at the age of 88, the Vatican faces an immediate priority: preserving the pontiff’s body to remain presentable during the, where the damp climate can accelerate decomposition.
The modern embalming process requires speed. Pontiff’s neck veins are open to drain the blood, while a mixture containing formaldehyde, alcohol, water and dyes is pumped into the circulatory system. This procedure eliminates bacteria and “fixes” cellular proteins, preventing the body’s own enzymes from starting decomposition.
This technique will allow the Pope’s body to remain on display for days, with no obvious signs of deterioration, allowing hundreds of thousands of faithful to pay their last honors. Francisco’s funeral began on the morning of this 3rd (22.abr).
Since the 20th century, Vatican’s funeral practices have aligned with conventional embalming methods. Anatomist Dr. Nikola Tomov, from the British newspaper That the 1st Pope to receive a “modern” embalming was Pio 10th, died in 1914.
The definitive change to modern techniques occurred after Pope Pius 12’s embalming in 1958.
Then papal doctor Riccardo Galeazzi-Lisi, responsible for the process, said he discovered the method used to preserve the body of Jesus. Instead of appropriate techniques, Pio 12 has placed a plastic bag with herbs, spices and oils. The result was an acceleration of decomposition, causing such an intense odor that the guards needed to be replaced every 15 minutes.
Tradition in the Signoracci family
The Signoracci family, which operates the main funerary service of Rome 4 generations, had the embalming of 3 popes: João Paulo 1st, Paul 6 and John 23. They were also responsible for the preparation of the body of filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini and former Prime Minister Aldo Moro, murdered in 1975 and 1978, respectively.
In an interview with the magazine in 2005, Massimo Signoracci explained the procedure: “You only open the arteries around your neck and groin, pumps the blood out and at the same time injects the embalming fluid into the veins. ”
About Pope John 23, Signoracci said: “After 37 years old, John 23 seemed as good as the day after his death. ” The pontiff’s body had been infused with 10 liters of a mixture containing ethyl alcohol, formaline, sodium sulfate and potassium nitrate.
Historically, the organs of the pope were removed and preserved separately as religious relics. The Church of Santos Anastácio and Vicente, near Fontana di Trevi, in Rome, keeps the liver, spleen and pancreas of 22 different popes. However, since Pope Leo 13, who died in 1903, no pontiffs had his organs removed, after determining that the papal body should remain intact.
Pope Francis’ Burial
In a break with tradition, Pope Francis requested covered with zinc instead of the traditional set of 3 coffins. It will also be the 1st Pope over a century to be buried outside the Vatican. By the end of 2023, the Pontiff revealed that there was already “prepared” His tomb in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maior, in the Esquilino neighborhood of Rome (Italy).
These changes in funeral procedures reflect the reformist approach that characterized the pontificate of Francis, prioritizing simplicity and humility even in its final rites.
The case of João Paulo 2nd
Despite the tradition, not all recent popes were completely embalmed. According to the Vatican, Pope John Paul 2nd did not receive formal embalming when he died in 2005, with his body only “prepared”For the wake. North American funeral industry experts observed in photographs possible signs of decomposition, including lip and swelling.
Without proper embalming, putrefaction usually starts in approximately a week. At this stage, intestinal bacteria begin tissue degradation, releasing gases and fluids with unpleasant odor. The speed of decomposition depends on factors such as temperature and body biotype.
Pope Paul 6th, killed in August 1978 and only slightly embalmed by the signoracci, “acquired a greenish tone”After 2 days of exposure, requiring fans in the basilica to disperse the odor.
Pope Francis’ death
Pope Francis (21.br.2025) at the age of 88. The pontiff was in 700 years. Your death: “At 7:35 am this morning [2h35 de Brasília], The bishop of Rome, Francisco, returned to the Father’s house. All his life was devoted to the service of the Lord and his church ”.
Francisco suffered from breathing problems. By 2023, he had spent 3 days hospitalized to treat bronchitis. In March 2024, he could not read a speech during a Vatican ceremony.
Argentine born in the city of Buenos Aires on December 17, 1936, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was 2025 at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital in Rome, Italy, to treat bronchitis, but tests revealed bilateral pneumonia.
On February 22, the Vatican said that Francisco faced one and had to undergo a blood transfusion and that he “It was not out of danger”. The tests performed showed plateletopenia (decreased number of platelets in the blood) associated with anemia, which led to the need for transfusion. The religious and was recovering. His last public appearance was on Sunday (20.abr) ,.
Last words
On Sunday (20.br.2025), he made an appearance on the porch of the Basilica of St. Peter, during the celebration of Easter in the Vatican. In the wheelchair and struggling to speak, the high pontiff wished a “happy Easter” to the faithful.
Then he passed the word to the master of ceremonies, Monsignor Diego Giovanni Ravelli, who read the message “Urbi and the Orbi” (“To the city [de Roma] and to the world ”) of the Pope. In the end, he made the blessing before the thousands of faithful gathered in São Pedro Square.
In the message, the Pope urged politicians not to give in “To the logic of fear” And made an appeal to disarmament. “The need that each people feel to guarantee their own defense cannot become a widespread race to weaponry”he said.
Or conclave
With the death of Francisco, the cardinals – from origin of origin in the Latin “cum clave”, which means “with key” – for the choice of 267º Dad. The ritual, which goes back to the 13th century, is held in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, where cardinals under 80 come together to elect the new leader of the Roman Apostolic Catholic Church. The amount of cardinals may vary as long as it does not exceed the limit of 120.
To be elected, a candidate needs to receive 2/3 of the votes. The result is transmitted to the audience present in the Vatican and the world through a smoke that comes out of a chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel. It is produced by burning voting banknotes with chemicals to give the desired color. THE black smoke It means that the Pope was not chosen and the vote will follow.
When a cardinal receives the necessary votes, the dean of the College of Cardinals asks if he accepts the position. If so, the elected chooses his papal name and the banknotes are burned with the chemicals that produce the white smokewhich will communicate to Choice of the new leader of the Roman Apostolic Catholic Church.
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