Pope Francis announced this week that he intends on having a much more simple funeral than those of his predecessors at the Vatican, including a humble wooden casket.

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.

After the funeral of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, the pope asked that the protocols for papal funerals be revised to evoke the idea of a pastor and bishop, not of a powerful ruler.

Pope Francis approves new papal funeral rites for when he dies to simplify rituals, allow for burial outside the Vatican

Pope Francis has revised the funeral rites that will be used when he dies, simplifying the rituals to emphasize his role as a mere bishop and allowing for burial outside

Pope Francis breaks centuries-old traditions, opting for a simple wooden coffin and no public viewing for his funeral. Instead, he’ll be buried outside the Vatican. Know why the humble pontiff is choosing simplicity over extravagance.

Pope Francis has opted to be buried in a wooden casket when he is laid to rest – amending a centuries-old tradition of a decorated send off as he works to simplify papal customs. The 87-year-old pontiff – who turns 88 next month – enacted a new set of liturgical rites aimed at modernizing the Catholic Church that scraps lengthy,