The Pope's Three Coffins

All the news reports that talk about the Pope's three coffins said that this is done to conserve and protect the remains of the Pope. These reports are misleading because they did not talk about the real meaning of the ancient tradition of burying the pope using cypress, lead and elm coffins.

The first, made of cypress is to signify that even the popes are human and are buried like common men. The second, of lead, bears the name of the pontiff, the dates of his pontificate, and copies of the documents of profound importance issued under his seal. The broken seal of office is placed within the lead coffin by the Camerlengo prior to final closure. Finally, the third coffin, made of elm, the most precious of local woods available in Rome, is used to signify the great dignity of the man being laid to his rest.

Thanks to this ancient custom, many early documents of the Church have been conserved.