The Vatican has released a photo of the late Pope Francis the head of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of the Vatican City state.
The funeral of the late Pope Francis is expected to take place at St Peter’s Square on Saturday, April 26, 2025, at 10 a.m.
The Vatican News in a post on social media page X stated, “The body of the late Pope Francis will be transferred to St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday at 9:00 AM to lie in state until his funeral on Saturday morning at 10:00 AM.
The Holy See Press Office announced on Tuesday that Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside at the funeral Mass, which will be concelebrated by Patriarchs, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, and priests from across the globe.
The Eucharistic celebration will conclude with the Ultima commendatio and the Valedictio, marking the beginning of the Novemdiales, or nine days of mourning and Masses for the repose of Pope Francis’ soul.
The late Pope’s body will then be taken into St. Peter’s Basilica and then to the Basilica of St. Mary Major for entombment.
Earlier, on Wednesday, the coffin containing the Pope’s body will be carried from the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta to St. Peter’s Basilica.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, will preside over the rite of translation on April 23, which will begin at 9:00 AM with a moment of prayer.
The procession will pass through Santa Marta Square and the Square of the Roman Protomartyrs, according to the Holy See Press Office.
The procession will then exit through the Arch of the Bells into St. Peter’s Square and enter the Vatican Basilica through the central door.
At the Altar of the Confession, the Cardinal Camerlengo will preside over the Liturgy of the Word, at the conclusion of which the visits to the body of the Roman Pontiff will commence”.
Pope Francis’s death came just a day after he delighted the crowds of worshippers at the Vatican on Easter Sunday with an appearance on the balcony at Saint Peter’s Basilica despite still convalescing after a severe illness.
An estimated 1.4 billion Catholics across the world will mourn Francis’ passing.
See the post below:
The body of the late Pope Francis will be transferred to St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday at 9:00 AM to lie in state until his funeral on Saturday morning at 10:00 AM.
The Holy See Press Office announced on Tuesday that Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of… pic.twitter.com/ObGjYl7Bi7
— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) April 22, 2025
