Pope Francis allows his burial outside the Vatican

Pope Francis waves after his weekly general audience in St Peter's Square at The Vatican on Nov 20, 2024. [AP Photo]

Pope Francis has revised the funeral rites that will be used when he dies, simplifying the rituals to emphasise his role as a mere bishop and allowing for burial outside the Vatican in keeping with his wishes.

The Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano on Wednesday published details of the updated liturgical book, which Francis approved on April 29 and which replaces the previous edition that was last published in 2000.