In life, Pope Francis shunned the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City in favor of a modest apartment. In death, too, he disdained ornateness, directing the church to inter him in single coffin instead of the traditional nested trio.
But a funeral for a pope — even one devoted to simplicity — is never a simple matter.
On Monday, within hours of the announcement that Francis had died at age 88, cardinals around the world began heading to the Vatican to bury the leader of the Roman Catholic Church and prepare for the task of choosing his successor. Summoned to Rome by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals, they were to have their first meeting at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the synod hall.
It is the cardinals who will decide exactly when Francis’ remains should be moved to St. Peter’s Basilica, where they will be on view before his funeral. The transfer may take place as soon as Wednesday. The entombment of a pope generally takes place four to six days after his death, with the funeral rites and the elaborate rituals attending them lasting about nine days.
If burying a pope is complicated, choosing a new one is still more so — though the heart of the process takes place behind closed doors. Every cardinal under 80 has a vote, meaning that 135 men will soon begin making a decision that will shape the future of a church with 1.3 billion adherents around the world. The conclave, as it is called, begins sometime after the funeral rites are over.
Political and religious leaders from around the globe are expected to attend the funeral service, but they may little resemble those who were in power when the Argentine-born prelate took the papal throne in 2013. Some will be leaders he confronted over their treatment of the downtrodden, especially migrants.
Twelve years ago, the new pope could look at a world where at least some kindred spirits held positions of power. But that world has changed with remarkable speed. Progressive politicians have fallen from favor, authoritarian ones have taken their place, and, by the end of his time, Francis was a lonely voice.
Now, within the church itself, conservatives forces, never resigned to the liberalizing tendencies of their pope, see a chance for a reset. The question is whether the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church will reflect a changing world — or try, like Francis, to redirect it.
Francis’ admirers remembered him for his openness to members of the LGBTQ community. He also created thousands of bishops and appointed more than half of the College of Cardinals, at times transforming the inner workings of the church, and spotlighted issues like climate change and the plight of migrants worldwide.