The public can pay their respects to the Pope at St. Peter’s Basilica until Saturday, according to the Holy See Press Office.
The funeral Mass for Pope Francis is scheduled for Saturday, April 26, in St. Peter’s Square, the Vatican press office announced Tuesday.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the Dean of the College of Cardinals, will lead the service, which will include participation from “patriarchs, cardinals, archbishops, bishops, and priests from around the world,” the Vatican said.
Following the Mass, the Pope’s body will be moved to St. Peter’s Basilica and then to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore for burial.
The Vatican has confirmed that starting Wednesday morning, the Pope’s body will be available for public viewing inside St. Peter’s Basilica. The viewing will begin at 9:00 am on April 23 and continue until the day of the funeral.
The Holy See reported that Francis passed away on Easter Monday morning at the age of 88 at his residence in Casa Santa Marta, Vatican City.
Dr. Andrea Arcangeli, Director of the Directorate of Health and Hygiene of the Vatican City State, stated that the official cause of death was “stroke, followed by a coma and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse.” He also suffered from several chronic conditions, including pneumonia, hypertension, and diabetes.
The Pope’s last public appearance was on April 20 during Easter Mass. Although clergy delivered his address due to his declining health, he stood from his wheelchair, waved to the crowd, and said: “Dear brothers and sisters, happy Easter.”
According to his final will, released by the Vatican, Francis requested a simple burial plot “in the ground; simple, without particular ornamentation, and bearing only the inscription: Franciscus.”
His final resting place will be at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, fulfilling his wish to be near the icon of the Virgin Mary, Salus Populi Romani. This is a departure from the customary papal burials under St. Peter’s Basilica.
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1936, Pope Francis became a priest in the late 1960s. He was elected pope in 2013, making him the first Latin American and the first Jesuit to hold the position.
His 12-year papacy was characterized by an emphasis on humility, social justice, and dialogue between faiths. He was well-known for his advocacy for the poor, environmental protection, and efforts to reform the Catholic Church.
He also worked to improve relations between the Catholic Church and other religious groups, visiting the Arabian Peninsula and Iraq, and meeting with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in 2016 – the first meeting of its kind.
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