Preparing Pope Francis' body for lying in state - embalming science to rituals

Some 1.4 billion Catholics around the globe are in mourning of Pope Francis at the age of 88. The influential leader's death was announced by the Vatican on Monday morning, triggering a series of centuries-old rituals that will include lying in state for three days before his funeral.

Pope Francis's embalmed body will lie in state in St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, with hundreds of thousands of mourners expected to arrive to pay their respects to the pontiff. The beloved leader's funeral will before he rests in a simple underground tomb in the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome's Esquilino neighbourhood.

Seven popes are buried in the church, one of major papal basilicas, including Honorious III in 1216 and Clement IX in 1669, with Pope Francis the first in a century to be buried outside the Vatican. We take a closer look at how his body has been prepared to lie in state...

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Before lying in state, Vatican Chamberlain - the administrator of the Vatican between a pope's death and the election of a new leader - confirms the death of Pope Francis by calling his name three times at his bedside. The current Vatican Chamberlain is Cardinal Kevin Farrell. The next step in the process has been the sealing of the Pope's office and private apartments, with his papal fisherman's ring also removed from his finger and broken with a hammer.

The hot and humid in Rome means embalming has been essential to prevent decay and this typically takes between two and four hours. The aim of embalming overall isn't meant to make the person appear to be living but comfortable in their rest.

Restoring the natural appearance of a body requires sanitisation, presentation and preservation, with reconstruction an additional step if necessary. This creates a peaceful image of a person for their family and friends who visit post death - and, in the case of Pope Francis, for the hundreds of thousands of Catholics who will want to pay their respects to him.

Traditional steps in the embalming process include washing a body in disinfectant to remove bacteria, massaging muscles to unwork rigor mortis and shaving off any facial hair. Eyes are sealed with plastic eye caps and the jaw, forced open as rigor mortis sets in, is wired shut. Cotton can be used around the jaw to give a relaxed expression. Hair is washed and styled and the body is dressed - in the case of Pope Francis, in traditional red robes with a white mitre on his head - with cosmetics applied to the face as necessary.

Arterial embalming, which dates back to 18th-century England, involves flushing a body of blood and filling it with preservative chemicals to preserve its appearance for longer. The embalming mixture is used to push out congealed blood, kill bacteria, and 'bind' proteins in a body's cells to prevent enzymes from breaking them down.

A combination of dyes to restore a natural skin tone, alcohol, water and formaldehyde typically enters the body through the carotid artery in the neck, with blood draining out through the jugular vein. The veins are pulled out of the body via an incision over the collarbone before the blood vessels are cut open and connected to an embalming machine.

Another part of the preservation process is cavity embalming, which involves puncturing and draining organs in the chest and abdomen of fluid and intestinal contents with a needle-like vacuum, before replacing them with a formaldehyde-based mixture. Hypodermic embalming is an option if needed, directly injecting tissue under the skin for rehydration to give a more supple and natural appearance.

Restoration techniques include using wax treatments to restore any damaged or missing facial features. The art is particularly important for deaths with visible injuries, such as accidents or murders, or with traumatic appearances.

The bodies of deceased popes used to be prepared with traditional methods, which included removing organs, rubbing the skin with herbs and oil and stuffing orifices with herbs, cotton and wax to prevent fluids seeping out. Pope Pius, who died in 1914, was the first pontiff to receive a modern embalming.

In 1958, disaster struck when papal physician Riccardo Galleazzi-Lisi believed he had discovered the method used to preserve Jesus' body and used it on Pope Pius XII. His technique of placing the pope's body inside a plastic bag and adding herbs, spices, oils, and resins sped up the process of putrefaction and saw the Swiss Guard standing guard as he lay in state rotated every 15 minutes due to the smell.

Breaks with tradition will see Pope Francis's body remain inside the coffin with the lid removed rather than placed on a raised platform known as a catafalque. And he will be placed inside a single zinc-lined wooden casket rather than the three caskets traditionally used to create an airtight seal.