A look at John Paul II's funeral rites

Here is a detailed look at the funeral rites that will be observed Friday for Pope John Paul II.

Before the Mass
Before the Mass, the pope's body will be taken from the bier and placed in a cypress coffin.

The coffin will then be closed in the presence of the Cardinal Camerlengo, Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo of Spain, and the senior cardinal in each of the "orders" of cardinals.  Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany will represent the cardinal bishops.  Representing the cardinal priests will be Cardinal Stephen Sou-hwan Kim of South Korea or Cardinal Eugenio de Araujo Sales of Brazil.  Cardinal Jorge Arturo Medina Estevez of Chile will represent the cardinal deacons.  Also present: Cardinal Francesco Marchisano, the archpriest of St. Peter's; Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the secretary of state; Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the cardinal vicar for the Diocese of Rome; Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, the sostituto (deputy) secretary of state, who functions as a papal chief-of-staff; Archbishop James Harvey, the prefect of the Papal Household; Archbishop Oscar Rizzato, the almoner of the pope in charge of papal charities, Archbishop Paolo Sardi, the vice camerlengo; representatives of the canons of St. Peter's; and Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, the late pope's longtime personal secretary.

The body is blessed with holy water, a white silk cloth is placed over the pope's face and a small bag with coins minted during the pope's reign is put into the coffin to aid identification in the future if necessary.

Cardinal Martinez Somalo offers a prayer, and then reads a legal document recording the pope's life and works, which all present then sign, while singing "My soul thirsts for God, the living God; when will I come and see the face of God?"

This document is sealed in a metal tube and placed in the coffin; a second copy is deposited in the Vatican archives.

While the coffin is closed and secured, those present sing Psalm 42: "Like the deer that yearns for running streams, so my soul in longing for you, my God."

The coffin is then taken into St. Peter's Square and placed on a simple catafalque. In 1978, the open Book of the Gospels was laid on the coffin, along with a white pall, a reminder of the pope's white baptismal garment.

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