Pope's funeral: Service and ritual outline

VATICAN CITY - The Vatican funeral for Pope John Paul on Friday will be an extended form of the Roman Catholic liturgy for the dead in which clergy and congregation commend the soul of the deceased to God.

Rich in rituals developed over the two millennia since the death of Jesus Christ, the three-hour service will reflect the worldwide nature of the Church with prayers in Italian, Latin and other European, African and Asian languages.

Following is an overview of Friday's ceremonies in St. Peter's Basilica and on its sloping steps outside. Psalms are listed according to Catholic numbering, which differs slightly from the original Hebrew numbering in brackets.

5.30pm NZt (7.30am local time)

Senior clerics and friends of the Pope attend a private ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica when John Paul's remains are placed in a cypress wood coffin. A white silk cloth is placed over his face and his corpse sprinkled with holy water. When the coffin is closed, the participants recite Psalm 41 (42): "As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God."

8pm (10am)

The funeral service begins on the steps. The closed coffin is placed before the altar with an open Book of the Gospels on top. German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, dean of the College of Cardinals, presides.

Some 164 cardinals will be to Ratzinger's right in the 600-seat clergy section. To his left will be 1400 Italian and foreign dignitaries. Another 2500 former heads of state and government, ministers, ambassadors and other important guests will sit in the first section of seats facing the altar.

The service starts with the Latin chant "Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine" (Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord), followed by Psalm 64 (65): "To you we owe our hymn of praise, O God on Zion, to you our vows must be fulfilled."

-- The first reading (Acts of the Apostles 10, 34-43) quotes St. Peter saying God shows no partiality among nations. It will be read in Spanish. Then comes the Latin chant of Psalm 22 (23): "The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I lack."

-- The second reading, in English, is from St. Paul's epistle to the Philippians (3,20 - 4,1): "But our citizenship is in heaven."

-- The Gospel is John 21, 15-19, where Jesus tells Peter that, if he loves Him, he must tend His sheep. Cardinal Ratzinger delivers the homily.

-- After the Creed sung by the choir and congregation, special intentions will be read in French, Swahili, Filipino, Polish, German and Portuguese. The choir sings Psalm 17 (18):"I love you, Lord, my strength." Then, Cardinal Ratzinger performs the Consecration, praying over and raising the host and then the chalice of wine which Catholics believe are transformed into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.

-- The congregation chants the "Our Father" in Latin ("Pater noster, qui es in caelis") and then Cardinal Ratzinger invites them to offer each other a sign of peace such as a handshake accompanied by words such as "peace be with you."

-- The choir and congregation chant in Latin the "Lamb of God" ("Agnus Dei"). The celebrants take Communion and then, with the help of other priests, distribute the hosts to the congregation. During Communion, Psalm 129 (130) is sung: "Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord."

-- After Communion, Cardinal Ratzinger stands at the coffin and leads the congregation in another prayer followed by the Litany of the Saints in Latin, a long list of saints asked to pray for the Pope's soul. The response is "ora pro eo" (plural: orate pro eo), meaning "pray for him." Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the vicar of Rome, concludes the litany with a short prayer at the coffin and returns to his place. Leaders of the Eastern rite Catholic churches based in the Middle East move to the coffin to pray and incense it and then return to their places.

-- A period of silence follows, then Cardinal Ratzinger sprinkles holy water on the coffin and incenses it while the choir chants. He recites a last prayer and then all sing the final hymn in Latin "In paradisum deducant te Angeli" ("May the Angels lead you into Paradise").

-- After the Mass, the coffin is brought into the crypt beneath St. Peter's while all sing the Magnificat ("My soul magnifies the Lord"). Only senior clerics and friends of the Pope accompany the coffin inside for the burial rites, which should take about half an hour. During this time, the choir sings Psalm 113A (114): "When Israel came out of Egypt", Psalm 117 (118): "Give thanks to the Lord, he is good" and Psalm 41 (42):"As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God."

-- Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somal of Spain, the camerlengo or chamberlain of the Holy See, leads the small group in prayer as the wooden coffin is to be placed in a zinc coffin that is hermetically sealed. That is then placed in an oak coffin and interred under a marble slab. The final hymn in Latin is "Salve Regina" ("Hail Holy Queen").

- REUTERS