The Vatican has announced the burial of Pope Francis for Saturday, 26 April 2025.
The Pope had died of a stroke and failure of the heart on Easter Monday, after battling a protracted illness.
According to norms of 1966 and having been practised over the years, the burial of a pope usually occurs between the fourth and sixth day after death—a time frame that allows the church to perform several essential rites and traditions.
The Holy See press office has announced that the body of the Pope will be transferred to St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday for lying in state until he is buried on Saturday morning.
The statement added that Cardinal Giovanni Battista, dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside at the funeral mass, which will be co-celebrated by patriarchs, cardinals, archbishops, bishops, and priests from across the globe.
According to the Vatican, Francis had expressed his wish and asked to be buried without elaborate decoration,
He requested that his tomb be only marked by the inscription: ‘Franciscus.’
The pope stated that an anonymous benefactor would cover the costs of his funeral.
His will was written in 2022.
On April 2, 2005, Pope John Paul II passed and was the last pope to die in office before Francis.
In 2013, his successor, Pope Benedict XVI, resigned and passed away on December 31, 2022, at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican at 95.
Francis, his successor, died at 88.
