Embalming

I read an interesting article that described the traditional practice of embalming popes. This year, the Vatican opted not to follow traditional practices. I'm not a mortician (is that a politicall correct name anymore?), and although I am fascinated by death, I am not familiar with the pre-decay duration of a dead body. My only experience is that of a woman who died in our apartment building a little over a year ago. She was dead only a few days before the odor of decay overwhelmed the first floor of the building. Given that the funeral will be almost a week after he died, will the Pope's body, to use the scientific terminology, get yucky?

There is the whole Catholic theological concept of incorruptible bodies of the Saints. The saints are so pure and holy that even the simple biological process of decomopsition fails to substantially affect them. It's kind of creepy, but you can take an "Incorruptible Tour" through Europe and see dozens of saints through glass display cases. I can't help but think that the funerary plans perhaps anticipate the Pope's saintly non-decomposition. I hope that the Vatican wagered favorably. Otherwise, it might be a bit unpleasant for funeral attendees.