How the Pope’s body was embalmed and made up to be exhibited at the Saint-Pierre Basilica-Liberation

The Vatican published Tuesday the first images of the Sovereign Pontiff in his open coffin, dressed in a red chasuble, wearing a miter and a rosary enclosed in his hands. These images come from a service celebrated Monday evening in the chapel of the Sainte-Marthe residence in the Vatican, where François lived during his 12 years of pontificate and where he died.

For its exhibition at the Saint-Pierre basilica, the body of Pope Francis was prepared to resist the spring heat of Rome, with a embalming procedure, a manicure and a touch of makeup. The Sovereign Argentinian Pontiff, who succumbed on Monday at 88 years to a brain attackmust be buried Saturday after funeral to the Vatican to which leaders of around the world will assist and tens of thousands of faithful.

But before, since Wednesday morning, François’s body has been exhibited in the Saint-Pierre basilica to allow tens of thousands of faithful to say goodbye.

According to Andrea Fantozzi, founder of the Italian National Institute of Thanatopraxia (INIT), this temporary process consists of « An injection of conservative liquids into the circulatory system, followed by aesthetic care of the face and hands ».

« The objective is to slow down the natural decomposition processes », specifies this expert. The procedure, which must be carried out within 36 hours of death, lasts several hours, and its effect – a more serene and natural appearance of the deceased – continues up to 10 days, underlines Andrea Fantozzi.

Temporary embalming is generally used for funeral vigil or body repatriations, in order to avoid, for example, any gas fumes due to the decomposition process, said Andréa Fantozzi.

Andrea Fantozzi refused to confirm if he had himself emballed by François, invoking respect for private life and the provisions of the Vatican protocol. The Vatican refused to comment. According to Italian media, André Fantozzi had supervised the embalming of the predecessor of François, Benoît XVI, who died on December 31, 2022, almost ten years after his surprise resignation.

On its website, the INIT cites Pope John Paul II, as well as the big opera singer Luciano Pavarotti, among the people embalmed by his experts.

More than 50,000 pilgrims have already paraded since Wednesday morning in front of the coffin of Pope Francis, before his funeral on Saturday. The doors, which were to close at midnight on Wednesday, finally stayed open until 5:30 a.m. to accommodate the flood of faithful. Friday, the doors of the basilica will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The coffin will be closed on Friday evening during a ceremony presided over by Cardinal Camerlingue, the American Kevin Farrell, who manages current affairs to the conclave.