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April 23, 2025 6 mins

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The world stopped at the news of Pope Francis, who
passed away at the age of eighty eight on Monday.
Marty This was the Australian Prime Minister. Today. The prayers
of more than a billion people from all nations, at
every walk of life go with Pope Francis to his rest. Now,
funeral organization is happening.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
Well, whenn't they preparing the body or they work? Yes,
I'd heard things about that yesterday. But there is obviously
a whole process for this. Yes.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
Now there's this book called the Bottom draw Book. We
have spoken about it before, we have and inside the
book it says taps with a hammer, organ removal, and
three coffins. The Curious Funeral Myths and Traditions for a Pope.
The author behind that book, Lisa Herbert, joins us, Good morning, Lisa,
how are you.

Speaker 3 (00:42):
Good morning here? That blog is proving really really popular.
Lots of people are really interested in all these weird
traditions about the Pope.

Speaker 2 (00:49):
Well, I mean obviously there would be, yes, I mean,
it's a very significant passing, and there would be protocols
and things like that, so you know, people are interested
as to what this process is.

Speaker 1 (00:59):
All about I want to know the curious funeral myths. Firstly,
taps with a hammer? What's all that about?

Speaker 3 (01:05):
Well, yeah, this is a myth. So it was widely
reported that to declare the pope dead, they have to
make sure that he's dead. So they alleged that three
taps with the silver hammer, and then the Vatican official
calls out his name three times or hee Mario Bogolio,
and when he doesn't answer, that's when he's declared dead.

(01:26):
Now that's been reported around the world, but I think
it's actually a furfy. There is nothing in the Vatican
text that actually says it's a thing, even though it
is being reported that. You know, he gets hit on
the head three times with a hammer.

Speaker 1 (01:39):
Right, well you get a bit of a Friday.

Speaker 3 (01:40):
He did go let me alone, that's right.

Speaker 2 (01:45):
How horrific for him to have a tap on the
head with a hammer.

Speaker 1 (01:49):
Organ removals what's what's what's with that?

Speaker 3 (01:52):
Yeah, fascinating this one. So in posts popes in the past,
the organs have been removed. So the arts, for example,
are embalmed, and if you go to the Trevie Fountain
there are two dozen hearts in each individual marble. Urns

(02:13):
as part of the Trevy Fountain. Yeah, exactly right. They're
just stored there and they've become these these holy, these
holy rituals.

Speaker 1 (02:20):
Okay, millions, that stopped.

Speaker 3 (02:23):
That stopped with a couple of popes Ago so and
Pope Francis he did his funeral planning a year ago,
and he was he kind of went, yet, no, you
can keep keep my organs in my body.

Speaker 1 (02:34):
Next, right, and what about the three coffins? What's that about?

Speaker 3 (02:38):
Yeah, this is again he did his funeral planning because
in the past, popes have been buried in interlocking caskets,
you know, placed within each other, kind of like those
the Bushka dolls. The first one would be made of Cyprus,
the second one lead, and then the outside would be
either an oak or a walnut. But the Pope's gone, no, no, no,

(02:58):
let's just go with one casket. So he's got that
wooden casket that he's laying in is lead lined. It's
only one casket, and in that casket it's likely to
have a bag of coins, which is symbolism, and also
some papers, some holy papers, so probably like his bio,
for example, is in that casket with him.

Speaker 2 (03:19):
Okay, fair enough. Now, look, there were reports about some
sort of watching with the embalming or something is that
Have you heard anything about that?

Speaker 3 (03:27):
Yes, it's quite an interesting chatter on social media with
lots of morticians and embalmers jumping in and having a
chat about First of all, was he embalmed because he
didn't really want to be embarbed. But yes, he has
been embalmed. They call it a temporary embalming that will
last for about ten days or so. But if you
have a close look at his hands, particularly from a

(03:49):
photograph kind of going from the feet up, you will
see that his hands are in a really awkward position.
They're not nice and rested on his body. In fact,
it almost looks like one of his hands isn't even
touching his body. So that means he has been embalmed.
There's been a chemical preservation of his body, and the
embalming has set the muscles or set the tendons before,

(04:15):
and you know, it hardened those tissues, and then he's
been put into place whereas you're supposed to embalm them
and kind of mold them into the place you want
them to be first, so that they look natural. But
if you have a good, look at him. His hands
are not natural and also his shoulders, his arms are
not sitting nice and relaxed that it looks like particularly

(04:36):
his right arm, right arm has been kind of there's
probably a polystyring or a foam kind of thing holding
his arm up. So it's weird much an embalming jobs.
Don't do it on a body that's going to be
viewed by million.

Speaker 1 (04:52):
Don't do it on the pope.

Speaker 3 (04:53):
Wow.

Speaker 1 (04:54):
Look, finally, are there any other traditions we should know about?

Speaker 3 (04:59):
The nine days of More is interesting, so masses every
day for those kind of people, and it's the Pope
was really progressive. He wanted to be known as the shepherd,
not the high and mighty. But with him, you'll notice
that he's actually in his casket, in his coffin at
this viewing. No other pope has done that. They're usually

(05:19):
laid up on a big platform, was called a catafalque,
and then you know above everyone else. But this Pope Francis,
he was a shepherd. He was at one with the people.
And that's why you actually see him in a casket.
Because if you go back and google Pope John the Second,
you'll see, for example, that he's lying like he looks

(05:40):
sleeping with pillows under his head and stuff. But this
pope he wanted to be real.

Speaker 1 (05:45):
Yeah, okay, well we're going to have to live there.
It is amazing. The book, the Bottom Drawer Book. Where
can people get it? Have you got a website of
Facebook page that we can go and all check it
out on?

Speaker 3 (05:54):
Yeah, check out the Bottom draw Book Facebook page. And
my last post is a mortician talking about the hen
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