The Roman Catholic Church is preparing to rest as millions of people around the world lament Pope Francis’s death. It is an event that is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of mourners, despite the likely cost being significantly lower than his predecessors.
Francis’ body has been lying in the state in St. Peter Basilica since Wednesday, allowing loyal people to pay their respects. World leaders, including President Donald Trump, are also expected to attend funerals at the Vatican. This is scheduled for Saturday morning.
Unlike his predecessor, Francis demanded a more modest burial. In 2024 he changed the long-standing burial rules that required three ffin. Two are made of Cypress and Oak, one is one of the leads. Under the new rules, the Pope can be made of wood and buried in one colum, lined with zinc. The change in the rules will allow burial outside the Vatican, according to Francis’ wish.
His ffin was moved to the Cathedral of St. Mary’s Major, a church outside the walls of the Vatican, where he wanted a simple grave on the ground. Francis was the first Pope to be buried there since the 1600s, and the first Pope to be buried outside the Vatican in over 100 years.
Francis, who was elected Pope in 2013, was known for embracing a humble lifestyle. The Argentine-born Pope chose to live in a Vatican guesthouse rather than a gorgeous Apostles palace, and traveled on a often modest vehicle.
“He was always keen to go to places where ordinary people lived, not to halls of power, palaces or whatever.
Francis said in his final will and will, released Monday, that his burial will be covered by an unknown benefactor he had previously arranged.
“In Catholicism, symbols are very important and this is one such case, so it’s about symbols,” added Faggioli.
The Vatican’s financial difficulties are approaching
The Vatican was nervous about the specific costs of Francis’ funeral and did not respond to requests for numbers.
Historically, a Pope’s funeral costs millions. In 1978, the deaths of two popes and subsequent Conclave’s death cost the Vatican $20 million. More recently, the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005 and the election of his successor Pope Benedict XVI cost $900,000 (approximately $14.7 million in today’s dollars).
That year, the church brought in $12.4 million in revenue to the museum from an influx of tourists. Other sources of income include contributions, equities, bonds, real estate and other investments.
However, in recent years, the church has faced major economic headwinds. Francis frequently clashed with Cardinals about the church’s finances, including just three days before his hospitalization in late February. He led a series of financial reforms. Some of them have sparked backlash, including cutting salaries for top-ranked officials.
Last year, the church had a $87 million budget shortfall, news agency Reuters reported, citing two sources familiar with the issue. The Vatican has not announced a full budget since 2022.
“The Vatican needs money. It’s a much larger church, so it needs money. It’s now serving more people in poor countries, and there are fewer Catholics in rich countries.
The crowd descends to Rome
The city of Rome, especially the Vatican, was already crowded due to Holy Week, which attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors.
It remains unclear how many people will stay to stay to attend Francis’ death or attend a general viewing of his body, but so far, tens of thousands have already paid tribute.
Historically, the crowds were vast. In 1978, an estimated 100,000 people gathered to mourn Paul VI. In 2005, Pope John Paul II brought an estimated 4 million sailors to Rome for funerals. In contrast, there were an estimated 50,000 people who were in St. Peter’s Square in January 2023 for Pope Benedict’s funeral. More than 136,000 people saw it on the Vatican YouTube livestream, just as the church was added for a recent papal funeral for those not in Rome.
For now, the hotel has already been booked. One of the closest hotels to Vatican City, Residenza Paolo VI is fully booked until mid-May. According to the website, the Tmare Hotel Vaticano will also be sold out next week.
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