After this Monday, the Catholic Church has finalized the preparations to fulfill the strict Funeral protocol reserved for the Supreme Pontiff. According to tradition, the funeral cannot be celebrated before four days or beyond six, so Francisco will be buried on Saturday at 10 am in the Basilica of Santa María la Mayor.
However, the burial of the Argentine pontiff The same protocol will not follow than their predecessors. Last November, Pope Francis reformed the papal funeral ritual with the aim of simplifying it, as collected by the second edition of the ‘Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis’, the liturgical book that guides these ceremonies and which was published by the office for the liturgical celebrations of the Pontiff.
In this way, Pope Francis will be buried in A single coffin of wood with zinc coating, instead of the traditional three coffins, one of polished oil, another lead and a third of cypress. Nor will a catafalco be placed decorative on the coffin, nor will mentions be made to Title of ‘Roman Pontiff’changes in line with its austere character.
The wake
He Pope Francis bodyveiled Monday night in the chapel of the residence of Santa Marta where he lived from his choice in 2023, It was exhibited as of Wednesday in the Basilica of San Pedro where it was placed in an open coffin so that the faithful can say goodbye to him.
The pontiff’s body was dressed in papal habits and wore a red casulla and a white miter. As the protocol marks, the Fisherman’s ringsymbol of the Pontifical Authority, which will be useless, and instead carries a smooth gold ring. It was also placed in his hands a rosary and a book of the Gospels.
He last goodbye to the pontiff has been massivewith long folk tails before Francisco’s mortal remains.
Funerals and ceremony
The Vatican confirmed Tuesday that funeral They are scheduled for Saturday. “He Saturday April 26, 2025 at 10:00 a.m.first day of the novelty, the Holy Mass of the Supreme Pontiff Francisco in the atrium of the Basilica of San Pedro will be held, as planned in the ‘Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontifical’, “the Holy See reported.
Funeral’s day coincides with the first day of the Noveltythe period of mourning during which nine masses are celebrated, one every day. Meanwhile, the cardinals who participate in the election of the new Pope will travel to Rome.
The Requiem Mass of the Supreme Pontiff is also planned mass and will be chaired by the cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the Cardinal College, together with the patriarchs, the cardinals, the archbishops and the bishops, in addition to the presbyters who wish to conceive it. These acts will attend at least 130 Delegationsincluding some “50 heads of state and 10 monarchs“In exercise as Donald Trump, Volodimir Zelenski or King Felipe and Queen Letizia.
The burial
The Holy See has communicated that at the end of the ceremony “the ‘last Commendatio and the Valedictio'” will take place and that later “the Pope will be taken to the Basilica of Santa Maria la Mayor for his grave ”.
The usual after the ceremony is that the coffin of the deceased Pope is transferred in procession to the Crypt of the potatoesa grave under the Basilica of San Pedro. However, Pope Francis left written in his last wills that his resting place would be the basilica of Santa María la Mayorwhich is located in Rome, far from the Vatican.
The Vatican reported that a “Group of poor” It will be present at the grave ceremony, although it did not specify who they are or where they come from. Also, following the wills of the Pontiff, the Tomb will be in marble and will have only “Franciscus” inscriptiontogether with a reproduction of the cruz pectoral that the Pope carried in life.
Francisco’s grave will be located in a side nave of the Basilica, near the altar of San Francisco and It will open to the general public from Sunday.
