Pope Francis: Funeral service will take place next Saturday

One day after the death of Pope Francis (1936-2025), the Vatican announced the official date of the funeral of the late head of the Catholic Church. Accordingly, Francis will be buried on Saturday at 10 a.m. According to the notification, the funeral fair will take place outdoors on the forecourt of St. Peter’s Basilica, the so -called St. Peter’s Square. The dean of the Cardinal College, Giovanni Battista Re (91), will lead the service.

At the end of the funeral service, Re will hold a final prayer in which the Pope is also formally entrusted to God. Then his body is brought to the Santa Maria Maggiore basilica for the actual funeral. The late Pontifex had had before his death that, like almost all of his predecessors in St. Peter’s Basilica, he will not find his final resting place, but in his favorite basilica in Rome.

Pope Francis’ body is currently laid out in an open coffin in a private chapel in the Vatican guest house in Santa Marta. The remains will be transferred to St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. in Central European times, where believers can say goodbye. Numerous heads of state and government are expected at the funeral on Saturday. Among other things, US President Donald Trump (78) has already announced his arrival.