Preparing the Pontiff

Newsweek, April, 2005 by Jennifer Barrett

By the time Pope John Paul II's body is finally laid to rest Friday, millions of mourners from around the globe will have streamed past his remains at St. Peter's Basilica. The pope's body is lying in state for five full days in Rome before the funeral. With temperatures in the 60s and mostly sunny days, preserving the corpse could be challenge. But Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls told reporters Tuesday that Pope John Paul II's body had not been embalmed, only "prepared." What's the difference? Embalming--which can take several hours--usually consists of draining the blood and other bodily fluids before injecting formaldehyde or other preserving liquids intravenously. Superficial measures of preservation could range from placing a body on ice to spraying it with chemicals,...

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