Madrid, Spain.- The Vatican has disseminated this Tuesday The first images of Pope Francis after his death on April 21 at the age of 88, which occurred at the Santa Marta Casa, his residence since he assumed the pontificate in 2013.
The photographs and videos show the pontiff inside a simple wooden coffin, covered with red velvet, in the private chapel of their residence, without the traditional catafalco that used to be used in similar ceremonies.
The body of Jorge Mario Bergoglio rests dressed in the white cassock, the red chance – liturgical colic reserved for papal funerals – the white miter on the head and the white pallium. Among his hands, intertwined on his chest, is a black rosary.
These images were captured during the official verification rite of death, held on Monday at 8:00 p.m. (18:00 GMT), in which Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell offered a solemn blessing to the body of the Pontiff.
The dissemination of these images is part of the protocol established after the death of a Pope, according to the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis. According to this regulation, Francisco’s apartment in Santa Marta has been sealed and the procedures corresponding to the vacant headquarters period have been activated.
This Wednesday, April 23, the body will be transferred to the Basilica of San Pedro, where the burning chapel will be installed to allow the faithful to present their respects. Thousands of pilgrims are expected to congregate in Rome during the following days as part of the posthumous tribute to the pontiff.
Meanwhile, the Cardenalicio College has initiated the general congregations within the Vatican, in which the logistics and ceremonial aspects of the funeral are coordinated, as well as the organization of the next conclave. Although the exact date of the funeral has not yet been confirmed, Italian media suggest that it will be held between Friday 25 and Sunday, April 27, following the guidelines of the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificisdocument prepared by Francisco himself.
Fulfilling his testamentary will, Pope Francis will be buried in the Basilica of Santa María la Mayor, in Rome. The grave, located in the Pauline chapel, will be modest: without epitaphs or decorations, only its name registered in Latin: Franciscus. With this, it will become the first Pope in more than a century to be buried outside the Vatican.
