I awoke early Monday morning to hear of the death of Pope Francis.  Pope Francis, who was 88 years of age at the time of his death, had served in his present position since 2013.

There is no doubt that his death will bring immense publicity to his funeral wishes and the historic traditions of the Roman Catholic Church.  As Death Care professionals it is probably good to understand what is happening and have the ability to relay the importance of the rituals to those who may ask you.

Upon the Pope’s death on Monday about 1.4 billion Roman Catholics, which is about 18% of the world’s population, lost their spiritual leader.  As funeral service professionals there is probably not a better time to be able to relay the emotions of grief and the healing power of ritual to your community friends.

To that end, Funeral Director Daily has linked some articles which might help you understand and inform those that ask:

• Dated November 20, 2024:  “Pope approves new papal funeral rites to simplify ritual, allow for burial outside the Vatican”  The Associated Press

• Dated April 21, 2025:  “What happens when the Pope dies? The process, traditions, and future of the church.”  The Catholic Company.

• The Vatican Grottoes –  Where Popes are traditionally buried.  Webpage from the Basilica de San Pietro

• Christianity — from Wikipedia

• Major Religious Groups — Religious Demographics — from Wikipedia

• The Catholic Church by country — from Wikipedia

• April 21, 2025 — “The Next Pope:  Who are the frontrunners to succeed Pope Francis?”  Newsweek

More news from the world of Death Care:

• Ancestral veneration reinvented with green, modern goodbyes.  Global Times (China)
• Funeral homes have 300,000 sets of uncollected ashes — can one man reunite them with their families?  The Telegraph via Yahoo News  (Great Britain)
• Donors make the ultimate sacrifice for new OU medical school program.  The Oakland Press (MI)

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“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”