Embalming Pope Francis: Scientific Steps to Preserve the Pontiff’s Body for Three-Day Public Viewing
Pope Francis, the first Latin American Pope, has died at 88. As the Vatican prepares for his successor, the immediate focus is preserving his body for public viewing in Rome’s warm climate. Embalming will involve replacing his blood with a formaldehyde-based mixture to delay decay, allowing his body to lie in state for three days.
The Embalming Process
Modern embalming methods, used since the 20th century, involve draining blood from the jugular vein and injecting preservatives (formaldehyde, alcohol, dyes) into the carotid artery. This halts bacterial growth and prevents decomposition. Historically, Popes’ organs were removed and preserved as relics, but since 1903, bodies remain intact.
Lessons from History
Early 20th-century practices were inconsistent. Pope Pius XII’s 1958 embalming disaster—using herbs and plastic bags—led to rapid decay, prompting a shift to standardized methods. In contrast, Pope John XXIII (1963) was successfully preserved with a 10-liter chemical mix, remaining intact for decades.
Lying in State and Burial
Francis will lie in an open coffin in St. Peter’s Basilica, dressed in red robes and a white mitre. Breaking tradition, he’ll rest in a single zinc-lined wooden casket, not the traditional triple coffins, and be buried at Rome’s Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica—the first Pope in over a century interred outside the Vatican.
Key Changes:
- No raised platform during viewing.
- Simplified burial reflecting Francis’s humility.
(Images: Pope Francis; embalming diagram; John XXIII’s preserved body; Benedict XVI lying in state.)
The streamlined rites align with Francis’s vision of a Church serving the faithful, not earthly power. His legacy, marked by reform, now enters its final chapter.
