The Italian government has declared five days of mourning after Pope Francis’ death, a decision made at a meeting of the ministers.
The period of mourning will last until Saturday, April 26, 2025, the day of the funeral.
The Vatican announced that the funeral of Pope Francis will be held on Saturday at St Peter’s Basilica.
The mass will begin at 10am local time and will be led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the Dean of the college of cardinals.
Traditional papal funerals involved dead Popes having three coffins – one made out of cypress wood, one of lead and one of elm, which are placed one inside the other before the body is placed inside and then buried in the Vatican grottoes beneath St Peter’s.
However, Pope Francis shunned these rituals when he approved the simplified rules in April 2024.
People will still be able to see his body in the basilica, but his remains will be placed in one simple coffin made of wood and lined with zinc, and will not be raised on a platform.
The Vatican also disclosed that the Pope Francis’ coffin would be taken to St Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, at 9am, where it will remain until the night before the funeral, to allow the public to pay their respects.
It will be taken there from the chapel of the Santa Marta residence.
The Vatican released first pictures showing Francis in open coffin during the rite of certification of death that took place in the chapel of Casa Santa Marta in Vatican last night.
Vatican News reported that “during the rite, the declaration of death was read aloud. The act was validated by Cardinal Farrell, and the ceremony lasted just under an hour.”
The ceremony of moving the coffin from Santa Marta to St Peter’s Basilica will start 9am local time on Wednesday, a note from the Vatican spelling out the details of the operation said.
After a moment of prayer, the procession will pass through Piazza Santa Marta and Piazza dei Protomartiri Romani, exit into St. Peter’s Square and enter the Basilica through the central door.
After the liturgy in the Basilica, pilgrims from around the world will be allowed to visit to pay their last tributes to Francis.
The prayers and the liturgy will be led by Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, Camerlengo of the church, who announced Francis’s death on Monday.
People will be able to pay their final respects to Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica from Wednesday through Friday.
Catholic faithful and the general public will be able to visit from 11:00 am (0900 GMT) to midnight on Wednesday, 7:00 am to midnight on Thursday and 7:00 am to 7:00 pm on Friday.
Key World Leaders To Grace Pope Francis’ Funeral
A number of world leaders have announced their decision to attend Pope Francis’ funeral.
Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni is expected to attend the funeral, with the Italian media reporting that she cancelled her pre-planned engagements in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan this weekend to stay in Rome.
United States President, Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and First Lady Olena Zelenska, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron will attend the funeral.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin is not planning to attend the funeral of Pope Francis. “No, the President has no such plans,” Kremlin Spokesman, Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
The Kremlin spokesperson added that Moscow had not yet decided who would represent Russia at the funeral on Saturday.
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