The funeral of Pope Francis will take place on Saturday, April 26, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square.
This was according to a statement issued on Tuesday by the Holy See Press Office.
According to the statement, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, “Will preside at the Mass, which will be concelebrated by Patriarchs, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, and priests from across the globe.”
It added, “The Eucharistic celebration will conclude with the Ultima commendatio and the Valedictio. The late Pope Francis’ body will then be taken into St. Peter’s Basilica and then to the Basilica of St. Mary Major for entombment. Ahead of the funeral, 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 Wednesday, 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.”
Meanwhile, the Vatican on Tuesday released the first official photographs of Pope Francis lying in repose in an open casket, marking the beginning of the mourning period following his passing.
The poignant images, shared by the Holy See, depict the late pontiff dressed in red liturgical vestments and a bishop’s mitre, with a rosary delicately placed between his folded hands.
The funeral is expected to be held between Friday and Sunday.
In a departure from traditional burial practices, Pope Francis requested in his final testament to be interred at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome instead of the customary resting place at St. Peter’s Basilica.
His body may be transferred to St. Peter’s as early as Wednesday, allowing the faithful to pay their last respects.
DECENCY GLOBAL NEWS recalled that the Vatican confirmed that the pontiff passed away on Easter Monday at his residence in the Casa Santa Marta within Vatican City.
Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, announced the death of Pope Francis from the Casa Santa Marta on Monday morning.
Farrel said the Pope died at exactly 7.35 am.
