Body of the late Pope Francis which was transferred to St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday will lie in state until his funeral on Saturday morning.
This was announced by the Holy See Press Office on Tuesday. The office disclosed that Pope Francis’ funeral Mass will take place on Saturday, April 26, 2025, at 10:00 AM in St. Peter’s Square.
Dean of the College of Cardinals,Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, will preside at the Mass, which will be concelebrated by Patriarchs, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, and priests from across the globe.
The Eucharistic celebration will conclude with the Ultima commendatio and the Valedictio, marking the beginning of the Novemdiales, or nine days of mourning and Masses for the repose of Pope Francis’ soul.
The late Pope’s body will then be taken into St. Peter’s Basilica and then to the Basilica of St. Mary Major for entombment.
Earlier, on Wednesday, the coffin containing the Pope’s body was carried from the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta to St. Peter’s Basilica, for the faithful to pay their respects.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, presided over the rite of translation on April 23, which will begin at 9:00 AM with a moment of prayer..
The procession past through Santa Marta Square and the Square of the Roman Protomartyrs, according to the Holy See Press Office.
The procession exited through the Arch of the Bells into St. Peter’s Square and enter the Vatican Basilica through the central door.
At the Altar of the Confession, the Cardinal Camerlengo presided over the Liturgy of the Word, at the conclusion of which the visits to the body of the Roman Pontiff will commence.
In the opening prayer, Cardinal Farrell thanked God for the 12-year ministry of the late Pope.
“As we now leave this home, let us thank the Lord for the countless gifts He bestowed on the Christian people through His servant, Pope Francis,” he prayed. “Let us ask Him, in His mercy and kindness, to grant to the late Pope an eternal home in the kingdom of heaven, and to comfort with the celestial hope the papal family, the Church in Rome, and the faithful throughout the world.”
The College of Cardinals then led the procession of the coffin through the Vatican’s Santa Marta Square, under the Arch of the Bells, and into St. Peter’s Square.
Over 20,000 people had gathered in the square to pay their respects to the late Pope, erupting into subdued but sustained applause as his coffin was carried up the steps and into St. Peter’s Basilica.
The late Pope’s coffin was placed in front of the Altar of the Confession, and the choir chanted the Litany of the Saints in Latin for the repose of his soul.
Cardinal Farrell then led a brief Liturgy of the Word, which included a reading from the Gospel of John (17:24-26) of Jesus’ priestly prayer proclaiming the love of God for Him and for His disciples.
The rite concluded with the chanting of the Salve Regina, a Marian hynm that begins “Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy.”
Members of the College of Cardinals then paid their respects to the late Pope Francis, followed by the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Basilica.