Pope Francis’ funeral is scheduled for Saturday: Key information you should be aware of

Pope Francis, who passed away at the age of 88, will be interred at the Basilica of St. Mary, according to Vatican News.

As the world gets ready to say goodbye to the Pontiff who passed away on Easter Monday, the body of the late Pope Francis will be lain in state at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City from Wednesday, April 23, until his burial liturgy on Saturday, April 26.

At nine in the morning on Wednesday, the solemn ceremonies will start. According to the Holy See Press Office, Patriarchs, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, and priests from all over the world will consecrate the funeral Mass, which will be presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals.

The Holy See Press Office reports that the procession will cross Santa Marta Square and the Square of the Roman Protomartyrs before leaving through the Arch of the Bells into St. Peter’s Square and entering the Vatican Basilica through the main door.

The Holy Roman Church’s Camerlengo, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, led the Liturgy of the Word at the Altar of the Confession and oversaw the translation ceremony.

The Pope’s body lay in state after the liturgical ceremony, and the faithful were asked to pay their respects.

Cardinal Battista Re will preside over the funeral mass, which is scheduled for Saturday, April 26 at 10:00 AM. In keeping with Pope Francis’ worldwide ministry and far-reaching influence, a variety of religious dignitaries, including Patriarchs, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, and priests from all around the world, will consecrate the mass.

The customary Ultima commendatio and Valedictio, which praise the Pope’s soul to God and bid him farewell, will conclude the Mass. The Novemdiales, nine days of grief and services for the late Pontiff’s soul’s rest, will also commence on this date.

Pope Francis, who passed away at the age of 88, will be interred at the Basilica of St. Mary, according to Vatican News. In his June 29, 2022, spiritual testament, Pope Francis stated that he would like to be buried “in the earth, simple, without particular decoration,” with only his Latin papal name “Franciscus” engraved.

Pope Francis will be commemorated as the 266th successor to St. Peter, and crowds are assembling in Vatican City and around the world to pay tribute to him.