In brief
The funeral for Pope Francis, who passed away at 88, will occur on Saturday at St. Peter's Basilica, with global leaders expected to attend.
In a significant announcement, the Vatican has confirmed that Pope Francis's funeral will be held on Saturday at 10:00 AM local time (08:00 GMT) in front of St Peter's Basilica. This decision was made following a meeting among cardinals in Vatican City on Tuesday morning to discuss the timing of the event. Before Saturday's mass, the Pope's body will lie in open casket at St Peter's Basilica starting Wednesday morning, allowing mourners to pay their respects to the late pontiff. Currently, Pope Francis's body is located in the chapel of the Santa Marta residence, where he lived during his 12-year papacy. A procession to transfer his body to St Peter's Basilica will commence on Wednesday at 09:00 local time, led by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the acting camerlengo. The procession will begin in Saint Martha’s Square and culminate at the basilica, where a Liturgy of the Word will take place before the church opens for public viewing.In a notable deviation from tradition, there will be no private viewing for cardinals at Pope Francis's request, and his coffin will not be elevated on a pedestal. The funeral service itself will involve a large congregation of clergy, including patriarchs, cardinals, archbishops, bishops, and priests from around the world. By 08:30 AM on Saturday, groups will gather in the Constantine Wing of the basilica and St Peter's Square, dressed in liturgical attire. Following the ceremony, there will be a nine-day period of mourning for the Pope.After the mass, Pope Francis will be transported to St Mary Major basilica in Rome for burial, where he requested to be laid to rest, marking a departure from the custom of interring popes in the crypt of St Peter's Basilica. He also specified a simpler wooden casket for his burial, unlike the elaborate arrangements of former popes.The anticipated funeral will attract significant crowds, with various heads of state, including US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron, confirming their attendance. The funeral announcement follows the release of official images of Pope Francis's body, which showed him dressed in a red robe and holding a rosary.Following the burial, a conclave of cardinals will convene to elect his successor, a process that the dean of the College of Cardinals must initiate within 15 to 20 days after the Pope's interment. Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday due to a stroke, a day after he appeared at St Peter’s Square to deliver an Easter address in his wheelchair. Known for his significant role in reshaping the Catholic Church, he was elected as the first Latin American pope in 2013.
