Pope Francis: His body has arrived in St. Peter’s Basilica

Escorted by the Swiss Guard and under the view of numerous mourning guests from all over the world, Pope Francis’ body has been transferred to St. Peter’s Basilica from Casa Santa Marta. The procession began on Wednesday morning at around 9:00 a.m., after Cardinal Kevin Farrell led through the opening prayer and blessed the remains of the Pontifex with holy water.

“Dear brothers and sisters, in deep grief we accompany the remains of our Pope Francis to the Vatican basilica,” Farrell began to say goodbye. “If we leave his house now, we thank the Lord for the countless gifts he gave the Christian people through his servant Pope Francis, “.

Afterwards the assembled cardinals left the building, after which the coffin of the Pontifex was moved to St. Peter’s Basilica via the Piazza Santa Marta and the Piazza dei Protomartiri Romani.

About half an hour later, the procession reached the St. Peter’s Basilica, where the liturgy of the word began – part of the Catholic trade fair, which consists of Bibellays. Afterwards it will be allowed to visit the coffin and say goodbye to Pope Francis.

Pope Francis’s body will be opened there until the planned funeral next Saturday at 10:00 a.m. The funeral fair is run by the Dean of the Cardinal College, Giovanni Battista Re. Numerous heads of state and government have announced their presence for the funeral, including Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (69) and the outgoing Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (66) and US President Donald Trump (78). The British royal family is represented by Prince William (42).