An incident that happened in 1958 prompted the Vatican to adopt more conventional and effective embalming procedures that we know today for all Popes after the botched embalming of Pope Pius XII.

The embalming of Pope Pius XII in October 1958 is infamous for its catastrophic failure, resulting in severe decomposition and public embarrassment for the Vatican. This highlighted the risks of disregarding established mortuary science in favor of tradition or experimentation.

According to Britannica, Pope Pius XII (born Castel Gandolfo on March 2, 1876, Rome, Italy, died October 9, 1958) was the pope, bishop of Rome and head of the Roman Catholic Church, who had a long, tumultuous, and controversial pontificate (1939–58).

During his reign as pope, the papacy confronted the ravages of World War II (1939–45), the abuses of the Nazi, fascist, and Soviet regimes, the horror of the Holocaust, the challenge of postwar reconstruction, and the threat of communism and the Cold War.

Deemed an ascetic and “saint of God” by his admirers, Pius was criticized by others for his alleged “public silence” in the face of genocide and his apparently contradictory policies of impartiality during World War II but fervent anticommunism during the postwar period.

Pope Pius XII had requested that his body not be disembowelled or have his organs removed following his death, a break from the tradition followed for popes in the previous century, wishing instead to be buried “in the same condition in which God created it”.

His personal physician, Dr. Riccardo Galeazzi-Lisi, was tasked with preparing the body. Dr. Galeazzi-Lisi chose to use an ancient method involving oils and resins, wrapping the body tightly in cellophane in an attempt to replicate the biblical treatment of Jesus’s body.

Critically, he did not treat or remove the internal organs, which allowed gut bacteria to accelerate decomposition.

As a result, the body rapidly deteriorated. Gases built up inside due to putrefaction, causing the Pope’s chest to rupture with an audible explosion as the body was being transported to the Vatican.

The skin turned from yellowish to a morbid black, and some fingers and the nose reportedly detached. The stench was so overwhelming that Swiss Guards standing vigil fainted, and the guards had to be rotated every 15 minutes.

Upon arrival at the Vatican, forensic experts attempted to salvage the situation with formalin and cotton, but the damage was irreversible. A wax mask was ultimately placed over the Pope’s face to make the body presentable for public viewing.

The scandal was compounded by revelations that Dr. Galeazzi-Lisi had sold photographs and information about the Pope’s final days to the press, leading to his dismissal and a permanent ban from the Vatican.

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