The Exploding Pope: 5 Shocking Secrets Of Pope Pius XII's Botched 1958 Funeral

The funeral of Pope Pius XII in October 1958 was a moment of immense global solemnity, yet behind the scenes of the grand Vatican ceremonies lay a series of horrific and unprecedented blunders that shocked the College of Cardinals and the Swiss Guard. This historic event, marking the end of the "Pope of Peace's" controversial 19-year pontificate, is now remembered less for its spiritual significance and more for the catastrophic failure of its embalming process, an episode that turned the Pope's body into a grotesque spectacle. As of today, December 10, 2025, the story of the "Exploding Pope" remains one of the most bizarre and closely guarded secrets in modern Vatican history, highlighting a clash between ancient traditions and modern medical science. The official nine-day period of mourning, known as the *Novemdiales*, was overshadowed by a rapidly deteriorating situation that began almost immediately after Pope Pius XII's death at his summer residence, Castel Gandolfo. The subsequent public viewing and procession from the Alban Hills to Rome became a legendary—and literally foul-smelling—disaster that ultimately ruined the career of one of the Vatican's most trusted personal physicians. The sheer scale of the botched preservation attempt meant that the last journey of Eugenio Pacelli was one of profound embarrassment for the Holy See.

The Life and Legacy of Eugenio Pacelli (Pope Pius XII)

Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli, who served as the 260th Pope of the Catholic Church, was a figure of towering influence during one of the world's most turbulent eras. His pontificate spanned the entirety of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War, earning him the moniker *Pastor Angelicus* (Angelic Shepherd).

• Secular Name: Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli
• Born: March 2, 1876, in Rome, Kingdom of Italy
• Died: October 9, 1958, at Castel Gandolfo, Italy
• Pontificate: March 2, 1939 – October 9, 1958 (19 years)
• Key Roles Before Papacy: Secretary of the Department of Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs (1914–1917), Apostolic Nuncio to Bavaria and Germany (1917–1929), Cardinal Secretary of State (1930–1939).
• Major Legacy: His role during the Holocaust remains highly controversial, with critics citing his "silence" and defenders pointing to his efforts to save Jews through covert Vatican networks. He also defined the dogma of the Assumption of Mary.
• Successor: Pope John XXIII, elected at the Papal Conclave of 1958.

His death at the age of 82 brought a close to the last great aristocratic pontificate, setting the stage for the dramatic changes that would come with the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II) under his successor.

The Botched Embalming: Dr. Galeazzi-Lisi's Catastrophic Blunder

The core of the funeral's infamy lies with Pope Pius XII's personal physician, Dr. Riccardo Galeazzi-Lisi. The Pope, adhering to a personal wish and possibly an older, non-standard tradition, had explicitly requested that his body be preserved without the removal of his internal organs, a standard procedure in modern embalming to prevent rapid decomposition.

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Dr. Galeazzi-Lisi, a respected ophthalmologist but an amateur embalmer, decided to use a novel, self-developed preservation technique. This method was based on an ancient process that involved soaking the body in a mixture of oils, resins, and herbs, similar to the process used for preserving the bodies of Christ and the saints in the early Church.

The results were disastrous. The method failed almost immediately due to the hot, humid conditions at Castel Gandolfo. Instead of preserving the body, the treatment accelerated decomposition at an alarming rate.

• The Alternative Method: The body was externally preserved using oils and resins, then tightly wrapped in cellophane.
• The Immediate Effect: The body began to turn purple, then black, within hours of the procedure.
• The Swelling: Gases from internal decomposition caused the body to bloat severely, leading to a phenomenon described in the press as the "Exploding Pope." The pressure was so intense that the body reportedly "exploded a bit" during the transfer.
• The Odor: A foul odor became overwhelmingly apparent, forcing the Swiss Guards standing vigil to switch out their shifts every 15 minutes.

The physician's hubris and lack of proper training turned a solemn rite into a public health concern, a scandal that necessitated a swift and discreet cover-up by Vatican officials.

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The Shameful Procession and Final Resting Place

Despite the physical state of the body, the traditional funeral rites had to proceed. The journey from the papal summer residence to the Vatican was a public spectacle of both devotion and decay.

The Journey to Rome

The Pope's body was first transported from Castel Gandolfo to the Basilica of St. John Lateran, which is the Pope's titular church as the Bishop of Rome. The solemn procession then continued to St. Peter's Basilica. During this transfer, the body's condition continued to worsen dramatically.

• The Public View: As the Pope lay in state for three days in St. Peter's Basilica, the decomposition was visible. The intense heat from the numerous spotlights used for filming and photography only exacerbated the problem.
• The Guards' Ordeal: The Swiss Guards and other officials standing watch had to endure the increasingly unbearable stench, a clear sign of the embalming's failure.
• The Scandal's Exposure: Adding to the scandal, Dr. Galeazzi-Lisi compounded his error by taking photographs of the dying and dead pontiff and selling them to the press. This egregious breach of privacy and decorum led to his immediate dismissal and a permanent ban from Vatican City.

The Burial in the Vatican Grottoes

The Requiem Mass and final burial were conducted with the full ceremony due to a pontiff, but with an underlying sense of haste and embarrassment. Following the traditional rites, Pope Pius XII was laid to rest in the Vatican Grottoes (*Grotte Vaticane*), the crypt situated beneath St. Peter's Basilica.

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His tomb is located close to the tomb of St. Peter, a traditional and revered final resting place for Popes. The burial marked the end of the *Sede Vacante* (vacant seat) period, allowing the College of Cardinals to proceed with the Papal Conclave of 1958, which would elect Angelo Roncalli, who became Pope John XXIII.

The entire episode served as a stark and humiliating lesson for the Vatican, leading to a complete overhaul of the procedures for handling the bodies of future pontiffs. For decades, the story of the "exploding Pope" remained a dark, sensational footnote to the life of a man who navigated the Church through the storms of the 20th century, forever tying his final rites to a bizarre medical catastrophe.