Controversy
After the death of Pius XII, Galeazzi-Lisi gave an article and photographs of the dead Pope to a French magazine, Paris Match, and to an Italian magazine. He also tried to publish a diary which he had composed of the last four days of Pius XII. In a controversial press conference, Galeazzi-Lisi described in great detail the embalming the body of the late Pontiff. He claimed to have used the same system of oils and resins, with which the body of Jesus Christ was preserved. However, heat in the halls, where the body of the late Pope lay in state, caused chemical reactions, according to Galeazzi-Lisi, which required it to be treated twice after the original preparation. Unlike all popes before him, Pope Pius XII did not want the vital organs removed from his body, demanding that it be kept in the same condition in which God created it.
This novelty, according to Galeazzi-Lisi, was the reason why he and Professor Oreste Nuzzi, an embalmer from Naples, used a different embalming approach, which was complicated by the intense heat in Castel Gandolfo during the embalming preparations. He predicted in the press conference that the embalming system would work to its full extent once the body had been closed in the coffin. He said that he and Professor Nuzzi treated the body of the Pontiff three times altogether.
The treatment was completely opposite to the ordinary embalming style. Instead of draining bodily fluids and keeping the cadaver cold, Galeazzi-Lisi covered the corpse with a plastic bag, inside which he placed herbs and spices. Virtually eliminating the air circulation, he dramatically accelerated the anaerobic putrefaction. According to the press, the body literally decomposed before the eyes of the mourners, during the procession from Castel Gandolfo to Rome. Despite Galeazzi-Lisi's efforts, decomposition was unstoppable: the Pope's chest exploded due to gaseous accumulation, the nose and fingers fell off and the skin turned from yellowish to a morbid black. The stench was so acrid that more than one Guard fainted.
Read more about this topic: Riccardo Galeazzi-Lisi
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