THE Roman Catholic cardinals have scheduled Pope Francis’ funeral for Saturday, April 26, at St. Peter’s Square, the Vatican announced on Tuesday.
The Vatican released photos of Pope Francis in his vestments, lying in a wooden coffin inside the chapel of the Santa Marta residence, where he had lived throughout his 12-year papacy.
His body will be transferred to the nearby St. Peter’s Basilica in a procession led by cardinals, allowing the faithful to pay their final respects to the first Latin American pope.
The ICIR reported that Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88 on Monday. His death marks the end of a turbulent papacy during which he frequently clashed with traditionalists and consistently advocated for the poor and marginalised.
Earlier this year, the Pope spent five weeks in the hospital battling double pneumonia. However, he returned to the Vatican nearly a month ago and appeared to be recovering, even making a public appearance at St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday.
The United States President Donald Trump, who clashed with the pope over immigration issues, announced that he and his wife would travel to Rome to attend the funeral service.
Among other heads of state set to attend are Javier Milei, president of Francis’ native Argentina, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Silva and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, according to a source in his office.
Breaking from tradition, the late pope wrote in his final testament, released on Monday, that he wished to be buried in Rome’s Basilica of Saint Mary Major, rather than St. Peter’s Basilica, where many of his predecessors were interred.
The Vatican announced late on Monday that staff and officials within the Holy See could begin paying their respects before the pope’s body at the Santa Marta residence, where Francis had made his home since 2013, opting to forgo the grand apostolic palace where his predecessors had lived.
The ICIR reported that Francis’ death has triggered ancient rituals, as the 1.4-billion-member Church begins the transition from one pope to another.
This includes the breaking of the pope’s “Fisherman’s Ring” and lead seal, which were used during his lifetime to seal documents, ensuring they cannot be used by anyone else.
All cardinals in Rome were called to a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the sequence of events in the coming days and to review the Church’s daily operations during the period before a new pope is elected.
A conclave to elect a new pope typically occurs 15 to 20 days after the death of a pontiff, meaning it is not expected to begin before May 6.
Approximately 135 cardinals are eligible to take part in the secret ballot, which can last several days before white smoke rises from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, signalling to the world that a new pope has been chosen.
Currently, there is no clear frontrunner to succeed Pope Francis.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues.