Pope Francis Left an Unusual Will

Pope Francis died earlier this month. You almost certainly knew that. But what you might not have heard or read about is that even the Pope left a will.

The will Pope Francis signed two years ago, though, was unusual. It didn’t address anything about his property, or who would receive anything. It didn’t even indicate whether the Pope had any property to leave to anyone, or whether he had made other arrangements for property disposition.

The Pope’s will explicitly identifies itself as his last testamentary will. But it dealt entirely with his wishes for public viewing, burial and identification of his tomb. Pope Francis elegantly described his purpose and intent. But it wasn’t a “will” in the sense that we usually think of.

Is there a lesson for the rest of us in Pope Francis’s will? You can include your funeral and burial wishes in your will, too. You can also include such provisions in your powers of attorney, or in a separate document intended to give guidance and direction to your survivors. And we think you should shoot for the quiet elegance evinced by Pope Francis. No need to write it in Latin; plain English should be fine.