The Vatican has declared that the funeral of Pope Francis will take place on Saturday, April 26. They have also shared photographs of the Pope in a modest wooden casket at the Santa Marta guesthouse chapel and disclosed his final spoken words.
The released images depict Cardinal Kevin Farrell leading the official death verification ceremony for the Pope, who passed away at 88 due to a stroke and heart failure on Monday, April 21.
Pope Francis’s parting words were words of thanks to his aides for helping him make his last public appearance at Saint Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday. He said, “Thank you for taking me into the square.”
The funeral service is scheduled to start at 10am CET (1am PT) and will be held on the forecourt of Saint Peter’s Basilica.
On Wednesday morning (April 23), Pope Francis’s body will be moved from the Santa Marta guesthouse chapel to the main altar of Saint Peter’s Basilica for public viewing and homage.
Large crowds have already started to gather in Saint Peter’s Square. To give a perspective, around 35,000 people daily visited the coffin of Pope Francis’s predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, after his passing on December 31, 2022.
With Pope Francis passing while still serving and the influx of Catholic pilgrims for the 2025 Jubilee Year, the crowd numbers are anticipated to be significantly higher.
Numerous television news teams have converged on St. Peter’s Square, with their presence expected to increase as the funeral approaches.
While Vatican Media will broadcast a multi-camera live feed of the funeral, various news agencies and networks have also set up on nearby balconies and terraces, securing spots well in advance at considerable costs.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the Dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside over the funeral liturgy.
Following the funeral ceremony, Pope Francis’s coffin will be transported to Saint Peter’s Basilica and then to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore) for burial.
Hundreds of thousands are expected to join the open-air ceremony and line the streets for the procession. The entire ceremony is projected to last between three to four hours.
Confirmed attendees include notable figures such as U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Prince William, representing his father King Charles, who had met Pope Francis shortly before his passing.
Choosing the Basilica of Saint Mary Major for his final resting place, Pope Francis has deviated from the tradition of being interred in one of St Peter’s Basilica’s crypts within Vatican City.
Although the exact start date for the Conclave, where 135 cardinals worldwide will vote for the next pope, has not been announced, it typically begins 15 to 20 days post the Pope’s demise. This period previously allowed cardinals time to travel to Rome before the era of widespread air travel.
There are indications that the Conclave, which occurs in complete secrecy in the Sistine Chapel, might start earlier if all cardinals arrive in Rome before the 15-day mark.
Leading candidates for the next pope include Italy’s Pietro Parolin, the Philippines’ Luis Antonio Tagle, Ghana’s Peter Turkson, and Portugal’s José Tolentino Calaça de Mendonça, along with U.S. Cardinals Timothy M. Dolan and Robert Prevost, the latter having recently returned from Latin America.
Daniel Hayes is a business journalist with a focus on market trends, startups, and corporate strategies.
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