The ''Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis'' (''Rite of Burial of the Roman Pontiff'') is a

liturgical book A liturgical book, or service book, is a book published by the authority of a church body that contains the text and directions for the liturgy of its official Church service, religious services. Christianity Roman Rite In the Roman Rite of ...

which contains the

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preceding and during the Catholic funerary liturgy for a

Bishop of Rome The pope is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the pope was the sovereign or head of sta ...

, the

pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

of the

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. The book has been published in two editions, with the first authorized in 1998 and published in 2000 and the second authorized and published in 2024. It is published by the

Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments The Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments () is the dicastery (from , from δικαστής, 'judge, juror') of the Roman Curia that handles most affairs relating to liturgical practices of the Latin Church as distin ...

Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff The Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff (, ) is the section of the Roman Curia responsible for organizing and conducting liturgies and other religious ceremonies performed by the pope of the Catholic Church. It is headed ...

. This text, alongside the ''Ordo Rituum Conclavis'', prescribes the nine consecutive days (''novemdiales'') of mourning following a pope's death. Three stations are described in the ''Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis'', with events taking place at the papal chapel,

St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican (), or simply St. Peter's Basilica (; ), is a church of the Italian High Renaissance located in Vatican City, an independent microstate enclaved within the city of Rome, Italy. It was initiall ...

, and the place of burial. The rites prescribed include the ascertainment of death, the procession of the body to the basilica, the funeral, and the burial.

The ''Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis'' (''Rite of Burial for Roman Pontiffs'') is a thin red

containing the

preceding and during the funerary liturgy for a

, the

of the

. A first edition was approved in 1998, followed by a second edition with revisions in 2024. It is published by the

, part of the

. The ''Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis'' governs the events surrounding the funerary rites alongside the ''Ordo Rituum Conclavis'', including the nine consecutive days of mourning (''novemdiales'') following a pope's death. The liturgical and ceremonial texts also described actions for circumstances where a pope's death is anticipated. The book describes three stations (also called ''moments'') following a pope's death, taking place at three locations: the papal chapel,

, and the pope's place of burial.

First station

Once he has learned that the pope has died, the

Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church The camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church is an office of the papal household that administers the property and revenues of the Holy See. Formerly, his responsibilities included the fiscal administration of the Patrimony of Saint Peter. As regu ...

the

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

responsible for the operations of the

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between papacies is required to immediately make an official declaration that the pope has died. The official in charge of the Vatican's health service determines the cause of death and produces a report. The dead pope is then dressed in white. The camerlengo will preside over the rite of ascertainment of death, which takes place in the presence of the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations and the

Apostolic Camera The Apostolic Camera (), formerly known as the was an office in the Roman Curia. It was the central board of finance in the papal administrative system and at one time was of great importance in the government of the States of the Church and ...

's clergy, chancellor, and secretary. After this, his body is immediately placed within his coffin. The camerlengo is then to produce a declaration that the pope has died and include the health service's report. The pope's body, still in the chapel, is dressed in red liturgical

vestment Vestments are Liturgy, liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christianity, Christian religion, especially by Eastern Christianity, Eastern Churches, Catholic Church, Catholics (of all rites), Lutherans, and Anglicans. ...

s, including his

mitre The mitre (Commonwealth English) or miter (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, see spelling differences; both pronounced ; ) is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of ...

and

pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : pallia) is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolitan bish ...

. A

paschal candle A Paschal candle is a large candle used in Liturgy, liturgies in Western Christianity (videlicet, viz., the Roman Catholic Church, the Lutheran Churches, the Anglican Communion, and the Methodist Churches, among others). A new Paschal candle is b ...

is placed adjacent to the coffin. The Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations is authorized to determine whether additional people are permitted to pay their respects before the body is taken to St. Peter's Basilica.

Second station

The coffin and body are translated to St. Peter's Basilica in a procession led by the camerlengo, an action detailed in provisions 41 through 65 of the ''Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis''. The

Litany of the Saints The Litany of the Saints (Latin: ''Litaniae Sanctorum'') is a formal prayer of the Roman Catholic Church as well as the Old Catholic Church, Lutheran congregations of Evangelical Catholic churchmanship, Anglican congregations of Anglo-Catholic c ...

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 The Vatican Apostolic Archive (; ), formerly known as the Vatican Secret Archive (; ), is the central repository in the Vatican City of all acts promulgated by the Holy See. The Pope, as the sovereign of Vatican City, owns the material held i ...

. Once the coffin is sealed, a funeral is held. While the funeral is intended to be presided over by the

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, 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

The first ''

editio typica An ''editio typica'' (Latin for typical edition) is a form of text used in the Catholic Church as an official source text of a particular document—typically in Eccelesiastical Latin—and used as the basis for all subsequent translations int ...

'' of the ''Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis'' was approved by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

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. In April 2024,

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

approved the ''editio typica'' of the second edition. Archbishop

Diego Ravelli Diego Giovanni Ravelli (born 1 November 1965) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who has worked for the papal household since 1998 and has served as Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations and head of the Pontifical Sistine Chape ...

, the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, said the edition was produced at Francis's request. Ravelli said that the pope had sought to "simplify and adapt certain rites so that the celebration of the funeral of the Bishop of Rome may better express the faith of the Church in the Risen Christ". The first copies of the second edition were circulated in November 2024. 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

rubric A rubric is a word or section of text that is traditionally written or printed in red ink for emphasis. The word derives from the Latin , meaning red ochre or red chalk, and originates in medieval illuminated manuscripts from the 13th century or ...

s for the papal coffins: instead of the traditional three coffins made from

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, and oak, a wooden coffin containing a lining or second coffin made of

zinc Zinc is a chemical element; it has symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic tabl ...

is authorized and it can remain open for public veneration. Other changes included the use of the simplest

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within the ceremonies and elimination of a station that took place at the

Apostolic Palace The Apostolic Palace is the official residence of the Pope, the head of the Catholic Church, located in Vatican City. It is also known as the Papal Palace, the Palace of the Vatican and the Vatican Palace. The Vatican itself refers to the build ...

. The Apostolic Palace station formerly saw the pope's body displayed outside of the coffin. In the first edition, the pope's vested body was placed on an elevated

bier A bier is a stand on which a corpse, coffin, or casket containing a corpse is placed to lie in state or to be carried to its final disposition.''The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language'' (American Heritage Publishing Co., In ...

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. The second edition also permitted papal burials to take place in a place other than St. Peter's Basilica. Pope Francis's funeral in April 2025 used the second edition.

References

{{Portal bar, Catholicism, Christianity, Books Roman Rite liturgical books 2000 non-fiction books 2024 non-fiction books Documents of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments Funerary texts

Contents

First station

Second station

Third station

History

References