The Vatican has decided the funeral for Pope Francis will take place on Saturday, April 26 at 10:00 local time in Rome.
A meeting of cardinals in the Vatican decided the time and date while confirming public viewing can begin Wednesday.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State (Prime Minister), is seen praying beside the body of Pope Francis in Vatican City, on April 21, 2025. The deceased spiritual leader of the Catholic Church lies in the chapel of the Santa Marta Guesthouse, which served as his residence during his papacy. (Francesco Sforza/Vatican Media/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The BBC reports papal funerals have traditionally been elaborate affairs, but Pope Francis acted last year to simplify his arrangements. The outlet continued:
He will be the first Pope in more than a century not to be buried in the Vatican, in the crypt of St Peter’s Basilica – opting instead to be laid to rest in Rome’s Basilica of St Mary Major, near his favourite icon of the Madonna.
He also requested to be buried in a simple wooden casket, unlike his predecessors who were buried in the traditional three nesting coffins made of cypress, lead and oak.
Pope Francis’s funeral will take place outdoors in front of St Peter’s Basilica.
The dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, will lead the service, per the BBC report.
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At the end of the funeral, Re will deliver the final commendation – a concluding prayer where the Pope will be formally entrusted to God – and the body moved for the burial.
Pope Francis – who was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on December 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires – died early Monday morning at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta, as Breitbart News reported.
The body of Pope Francis lies in state at the chapel of Casa Santa Marta during the Rite of Certification of Death presided by Cardinal Kevin Farrell on April 21, 2025 in Vatican City, Vatican. (Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
He will be taken to St Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday morning ahead of the funeral ceremony, where his casket will remain until burial for the public to pay their respects.
In his final will, Francis specified he would be buried at St. Mary Major basilica outside the Vatican and home to his favorite icon of the Virgin Mary.
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