Why Pope Francis’s apartment door was sealed with wax after his death at 88

The tradition of sealing: between symbol and protection

As soon as the death was announced, the Vatican protocol – called  the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis  – was put into place. This ritual includes the sealing of the door to his apartment. Using  hot wax , stamped with the  seal of the Holy See , the Pope’s living quarters are symbolically sealed.

Historically, this gesture was intended to  prevent any intrusion or manipulation of confidential documents , during the period called  sede vacante  – that is,  the papal interregnum .

In Francis’s case, the sealed door is not that of the  Apostolic Palace , but that of a  modest two-room suite at the Casa Santa Marta , which he had chosen from the first days of his pontificate.

A Pope close to the people until the end

Unlike his predecessors, who lived in  spacious and lavish dwellings , Francis had opted for a sober lifestyle. He  ate his meals in the communal refectory , traveled without a formal escort, and limited his public appearances.

His choice of humility is reflected even in the rites surrounding his death. He asked to be dressed in red—  the liturgical color of martyrs  —and laid in an  open coffin  in St. Peter’s Basilica.