The Vatican has revealed that the funeral for the late Pope Francis will commence on Saturday at 10 a.m. in front of St. Peter’s Basilica.
The funeral mass will adhere to the simplified regulations established by the Vatican last year, specifically the Rite of Burial for the Roman Pontiff, which received the approval of the late Pope Francis himself.
The Vatican confirmed the pontiff’s passing on Easter Monday at his residence in the Casa Santa Marta within Vatican City.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals, will officiate the funeral, which will be attended by the 252 men referred to as the “princes of the church.”
Following the mass, the coffin will be transported into St. Peter’s, named in honour of the first pope, before being taken to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, where Pope Francis expressed a desire to be buried.
The funeral for Pope Francis will be a more modest affair, reflecting the pontiff’s decision to simplify the ritual, thereby departing from long-standing Vatican traditions.
The process for selecting a new pontiff is expected to take several weeks.
In the wake of Pope Francis’s death, Catholics around the world began official periods of mourning on Tuesday, with memorial services held and flags flown at half-staff in tribute to the pontiff, who passed away at the age of 88 due to a stroke.
On Tuesday, flags were lowered at government buildings in various countries, including Australia, Japan, Britain, Italy, and Lebanon, in honour of Pope Francis.
Additionally, President Donald Trump has mandated that American flags be flown at half-mast at all government buildings until the burial of the late Pope Francis.
