“The transportation of the coffin will take place without exhumation,” reported the semi-official Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, “hence Pope [John Paul II’s] body will not be exposed.”
The newspaper reported that the body of John Paul II will be “enclosed” and that the placement of his body will be marked “by a simple marble stone engraved with: Beatus Ioannes Paulus II.”
The Pope’s body will be placed in the Chapel of St. Sebastian, which is located between the Chapel of the Pieta and the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament.
The chapel houses the remains of Blessed Innocent XI (1676-1689), and is named after the main figure in the mosaic above the altar, which was completed by Pier Paolo Cristofari. Statues of Pius XI and Pius XII flank the right and left sides of the altar, respectively.
