By The body of Pope Francis will be transferred to St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday, April 23, where it will lie in state until his funeral on Saturday morning. The Vatican has confirmed details of the funeral rites and public mourning period in honor of the 88-year-old pontiff who passed away on Monday.
According to the Holy See Press Office, the funeral Mass will take place on Saturday, April 26, 2025, at 10:00 AM in St. Peter’s Square. The Mass will be led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the Dean of the College of Cardinals, and concelebrated by patriarchs, cardinals, bishops, and clergy from around the world.
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Following the Eucharistic celebration, the rites of Ultima Commendation and Valedictio will be conducted, officially beginning the **Novemdiales the traditional nine days of mourning and prayers for the repose of the pope’s soul.
After the funeral, Pope Francis’ body will be taken into St. Peter’s Basilica and later entombed at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, one of his most cherished churches in Rome.
The public will have an opportunity to pay their last respects starting Wednesday morning, when the coffin bearing the pope’s body is transferred from the Chapel of Casa Santa Marta, his Vatican residence, to St. Peter’s Basilica.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, will preside over the rite of translation, beginning at 9:00 AM with a moment of prayer.
The solemn procession will follow a sacred route, passing through Santa Marta Square and the Square of the Roman Protomartyrs, before exiting through the Arch of the Bells into St. Peter’s Square. The procession will then enter the basilica through its central doors.
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