Thanatopraxia Method-Pope Death: Why the body was not expired

Thousands of people defy Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica until Friday. For Catholics, the opportunity to say goodbye to the Dead Pope is not only a ritual, but also a gesture of gratitude. To see the believers the Pope one last time, the Vatican was used on Thanatopraxia, a practice known in the funeral system, which makes the aesthetic and hygienically perfect absorption of a deceased in the open box possible.

COD -CONSERING TECHNOLOGY
The thanatopraxia is a technique of maintaining the corpse, which is mainly used in the public representation of the deceased. The procedure that was recently regulated by a 2022 law in Italy is a modern variant of balming.

One of the responsibility areas of thanatopraxia is the restoration of the aesthetic appearance of the deceased by special cosmetics or reconstruction, especially if the body is deformed by illness or exceptionally fast decline.

Delay
Practice makes the delay in the expiration of the body possible through nature conservation techniques. The blood is replaced by a decay -in ribs active ingredient, which is usually based on formalin. Performers are funeral directors who are also qualified Danatopraktikers. In the personalities of public life, such as. B. Pausen, The Thanatopraxia is essential so that the believers can honor the deceased in dignity. Thanatopraxia is not a mummification.

The treatment of the body of the Pontifex has nothing antiques or exotic. It is not about emptying the body or preserving eternity, as the Egyptians did, but about a modern, respectful process. The purpose of the treatment is not to create a relic, but to give the deceased a worthy and calm look for a few days, long enough so that the world can say goodbye to it.

Strict regulations
After the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday, his body was subjected to thanatopraxia to prepare him for the public display in St. Peter’s Basilica. The treatment was performed after strict protocols and in accordance with the Italian and Vatican regulations that prohibit the use of invasive techniques.

Thanks to the thanatopraxia, Pope Francis’s body can remain in the open box until the funeral on Saturday. The application of thanatopraxia or similar techniques is not new in the history of the Catholic Church. Over the centuries, popes have often been preserved, both for religious and for practical reasons that are related to the long duration of the funeral ceremonies.

Balanization was previously used in Popes
Before the introduction of modern thanatopraxia, traditional balms were used, a much more invasive procedure that provided the removal of internal organs and the use of substances such as formalin or alcohol. Nowadays, more respectful and less aggressive treatments are preferred. However, the goal remains the same: it is to ensure that the body of the pope can be shown for so long, so that countless believers can have the last honor.

Some observers noticed a striking bruise on the face of Pope Francis, who was visible during the audience that the body revealed. This can be a skin bleeding (ecchymosis), a phenomenon that can occur naturally after death, especially if the body is moved or stored in a certain way for the thanatopraxia. According to experts, such signs are not unusual and do not indicate violence or traumatic situations, but are usually the result of normal biological processes, such as blood stagnation in the tissue. Chanatopraktikers can cover this with the right makeup.

Conservation at Pius XII. went dramatically crooked
One of the most dramatic cases in the history of post -mortal treatment of popes is that of Pius XII. When he died in 1958, his body was subjected to a “new” form of balm by his personal doctor Riccardo Galeazzi-Lizzi with catastrophic consequences. According to countless testimonies, the treatment was carried out using an experimental technology, using unsuitable chemicals. The result was an accelerated disintegration of the body of the Pontifex, which was noticeable after just a few hours: the skin swelled and turned black; The smell soon became so penetrating that some Swiss guards fainted. The body finally burst. This incident embarrassed the Vatican and marked a turning point in dealing with papal corpses.

The Pius XII case. Is still mentioned today as an example of what can happen if the techniques are not performed correctly. For this reason, with the development of modern Thanatopraxia, it was decided to only entrust the treatments to experts and use scientifically confirmed protocols.