section_path: Funeral
section_name: Funeral
paragraph_text: Funeral
  
  Proceedings began with the Camerlengo, Kevin Farrell, presiding over the rite of ascertainment of death in the papal chapel. A papal funeral has traditionally been an elaborate affair, but Francis approved plans to simplify the rubrics of the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis, the liturgical book detailing the rites of a papal funeral. He opted for a basic wooden coffin lined with zinc and ended the tradition of popes being buried in three coffins (cypress, lead, and elm) and placing the pope's body on a raised platform for public viewing.
  
  On 25 April, Francis's coffin was sealed during a liturgical rite which began an hour after the lying in state ended. Controversy broke out after Roger Mahony, the former Archbishop of Los Angeles who was relieved of his office in 2013 due to mishandling of clerical sexual abuse, played a role in the ceremonies as the senior cardinal-priest in Rome, closing the lid of the papal coffin. A text summarising the pope's life (rogitum) was placed in his coffin. After the Litany of the Saints, the patriarchs, archbishops, and metropolitans of the Eastern Catholic Churches stood beside the coffin of Pope Francis for the Supplicatio Ecclesiae Orientalium (formerly known as the Officio Defectorum in Byzantine liturgy). After thrice chanting the Paschal troparion and chanting prayers, Patriarch Youssef Absi censed the coffin.
  
  The Mass of Requiem took place on 26 April at 10:00, led by the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re. Roughly 130 foreign delegations were confirmed at the funeral by the Vatican, including several prominent world leaders and heads of state. Around 250,000 people were estimated to have attended the funeral Mass at St. Peter's Square, while 140,000 lined up to see the funeral procession in Rome. The funeral Mass also began a nine-day mourning period, known as the novendiales, during which the cardinals will concelebrate Mass in Francis's memory. The Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff released the schedule and the list of cardinals who will officiate the Masses for the novendiales.
  
  The Italian government deployed more than 2,500 police officers and 1,500 soldiers to provide security during the funeral. It also deployed a naval vessel off the coast of Rome, and placed fighter jet squadrons on standby. A no-fly zone was imposed over Rome ahead of the funeral.
  
  The designed seating order at the funeral was based on a division in classes by type of dignitary (reigning monarchs, non-royal heads of state, heads of government, etc.). Within each class, the arrangement was organized according to the alphabetical order of the official French names of the dignitaries' home countries, as French is seen as the main language of international diplomacy. An exception was made for the presidents of Argentina (Javier Milei), Francis's native country, and Italy (Sergio Mattarella), who were both given precedence ahead of other dignitaries.
  
  The funeral offered a chance for "brush-by" diplomatic encounters between leaders, including US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who met at St. Peter's Basilica ahead of the funeral.