Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis

The Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis (Rite of Burial for Roman Pontiffs) is a thin red liturgical book containing the rites preceding and during the funerary liturgy for a Bishop of Rome, the pope of the Catholic Church. A first edition was approved in 1998, followed by a second edition with revisions in 2024. It is published by the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, part of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. which takes place in the presence of the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations and the Apostolic Camera's clergy, chancellor, and secretary. The Litany of the Saints is sung during the procession. There, the body and coffin are set facing the pews and the paschal candle is placed next to the coffin. During this exposition, public is permitted to venerate the pope's body within the open coffin. Prior to the coffin being sealed, Vatican coins minted during the papacy are put into a bag and placed within the coffin. A one-page account of the papacy (Italian: rogito) is written. It is read by the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, inserted into a tube, and placed in the coffin; a copy is retained for the Vatican Archives. Once the coffin is sealed, a funeral is held. While the funeral is intended to be presided over by the dean of the College of Cardinals, the vice-dean or any senior cardinal can fulfill this role if the dean cannot do so. Third station Most popes are buried at St. Peter's Basilica, but the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis permits burials elsewhere. The text calls for the camerlengo to preside over the burial. A variety of seals are placed on the coffin prior to its final entombment. ==History==

in 2025 used the second edition of Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis. The first editio typica of the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis was approved by Pope John Paul II in 1998 and published in 2000. This version of the text was used at two papal funerals: the 2005 funeral of John Paul II and the 2023 funeral of Benedict XVI. Ravelli described the second edition as a "renewed rite" which intended to emphasize the papal funeral as "that of a pastor and disciple of Christ and not of a powerful person of this world". Among the changes in the second edition was the location of the ascertainment of death. Previously, the ascertainment of death would take place in the room where the pope died. Simplifications made in the second edition included altered rubrics for the papal coffins: instead of the traditional three coffins made from cypress, lead, and oak, a wooden coffin containing a lining or second coffin made of zinc is authorized and it can remain open for public veneration. Other changes included the use of the simplest papal titles within the ceremonies and elimination of a station that took place at the Apostolic Palace. In the first edition, the pope's vested body was placed on an elevated bier in St. Peter's Basilica for the lying in state before being placed in the coffin. The second edition removed the bier, oriented the coffin towards the pews, and called for a paschal candle to be placed adjacent to the coffin. Pope Francis's funeral in April 2025 used the second edition. ==References==