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       VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis, who has shunned much of the pomp and privilege of leading the global Catholic Church, has decided that a simple wooden casket will suffice when the time comes for his funeral.

       In a new formal rite published on Wednesday, the Vatican said Pope Francis will forego a centuries-old practice of burying the late pope in three interlocking caskets made of cypress, lead and oak. Instead, the pontiff will be buried in a single, zinc-lined wooden coffin.

       The dead pope will also not be put on display atop a raised platform, or catafalque, in St Peter’s Basilica for visitors in Rome to view, as was the case with previous popes.

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       Visitors will still be welcome to pay their respects, but Francis’s body will be left inside the casket, with the lid off.

       Francis, who turns 88 on Dec 17, has suffered occasional bouts of ill health in recent years, but has seemed in fine form in recent months.

       He now uses a wheelchair due to knee and back pain, but made two demanding foreign trips in September and hosted a major, month-long summit of Catholic leaders at the Vatican last month.

       The pope said last year he wanted to simplify the elaborate, book-long funeral rites that have been used for his predecessors.

       Published in Dawn, November 21st, 2024