
What happens when the Pope dies? A papal funeral has traditionally been an elaborate affair, but Pope Francis recently approved plans to make the whole procedure less complex.
Previous popes were buried in three-tiered coffins made of cypress, lead and oak. Pope Francis has chosen a simple wooden coffin covered in zinc. He has also done away with the tradition of placing the pope's body on a raised platform known as a catafalque in St. Peter's Basilica for public viewing.
Instead, the faithful will be invited to pay their respects while his body remains inside the coffin, with the lid removed. Francis will also be the first pope in more than a century to be buried outside the Vatican.
He will be laid to rest in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, one of the four main papal basilicas in Rome.