Pope Francis lies in state at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, April 24, 2025. PHOTO/REUTERS
The funeral of the late Pope Francis is nine days of prayers and preparations, which will end on May 5. After the Saturday, April 26 funeral Mass, his body will be taken to the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome, where he will be entombed.
Pope Francis chose to be buried at St Mary Major in Rome, the smaller basilica, about four miles away, outside the Vatican walls, where he often prayed regularly before and after international trips during his 12-year pontificate.
On Tuesday, the Holy See Press Office released the programme for the funeral of Pope Francis and said the funeral Mass will take place on April 26 at 10am in St Peter’s Square. A statement from the Vatican Press Office says Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside at the Mass, which will be concelebrated by patriarchs, cardinals, archbishops, bishops, and priests from across the globe.
“The Eucharistic celebration will conclude with the Ultima commendatio and the Valedictio, marking the beginning of the Novemdiales, or nine days of mourning and Masses for the repose of Pope Francis’ soul,” the release says.
On Wednesday, the coffin containing the Pope’s body was carried from the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta to St Peter’s Basilica, for the faithful to pay their respects. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, presided over the rites on April 23, which began at 9am with a moment of prayer.
At the Altar of the Confession, Cardinal Farrell presided over the Liturgy of the Word, after which the visits to the body of the Roman Pontiff commenced. St Peter’s Basilica remained open for the faithful who wish to pay their respects to the late Pope on Wednesday from 11am to midnight; on Thursday (yesterday) from 7am to midnight; and on Friday (today) from 7am to 7pm.
Pope Francis, 88, died on Easter Monday, having blessed the congregation earlier on Sunday. Vatican sources say the Pope had expressed the desire to be buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, a fifth-century church in Rome dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, as early as 2015.
He becomes the first pope to be buried in Santa Maria Maggiore since the 17th century, when Pope Clement IX was laid to rest there. Pope Francis’ funeral rites will take place in three parts, called stations. The first station took place at the pope’s private chapel, after medical professionals certified his death. After the body rested in the chapel, the cardinal serving as the Pope’s camerlengo (the Pope’s chief of staff) announced the arrangements for the funeral.
The cardinal also has the responsibility to run the Vatican until a new pope is elected. Cardinal Farrell, who was appointed by Francis in 2019, will lead the ongoing funeral process until the election of the next pope.
According to Ms Joanne M. Pierce, a professor emerita of religious studies at the College of the Holy Cross, writing for the CBS news, as part of the tradition that has run for centuries, the chief of staff will formally call the deceased pope by the full name given to him when he was baptised as an infant.
While legends have it that previously the pope was also tapped three times on the forehead with a small silver hammer, there is no documented evidence to prove that. She said traditionally, another ancient rite will also take place after the declaration of the Pope’s death, which is the defacing of the pope’s ring.
The Catholic tradition has it that each pope wears a custom-made ring with an engraved image of a man fishing from a boat, hearkening back to the gospel of Matthew, where Jesus calls St Peter a “fisher of men”. “This Fisherman’s Ring, with the name of the current pope engraved over the image, could act as a seal on official documents.
The camerlengo will break Francis’ ring and smash the seal with a hammer or other instrument to prevent any other person from using it,” he said. At this time, the Pope’s apartments has been locked, with no one allowed to enter; traditionally, this was done to prevent looting.
At the second station, it is said Pope Francis was dressed in his simple white cassock and red vestments, and placed in a simple wooden coffin. This coffin was carried in procession to St Peter’s Basilica, where the public viewing has taken place for three days, ending today. According to CBS News, the Pope’s body has been left in the plain, open casket during this viewing period in order to emphasise the Pope’s humble role as a pastor, not a Head of State.
The earlier practice would have been to place the body on top of a tall, raised platform, called a catafalque, which ended with the funeral of Pope Benedict XVI in 2022. According to records, Pope Benedict was also the last pope to be buried in the traditional three coffins of cypress, lead and elm.
Two coffins contained specific documents about his pontificate; the first coffin also held the traditional three bags of coins — gold, silver and copper — representing each year of his pontificate.
However, according to CBS, at Francis’ funeral, after the public viewing, a plain white cloth will be placed over the pope’s face as he lies in the oak coffin, a continuing part of papal funerals.
It reported that “this will be the first time that only a single coffin will be used; it will likely contain a document describing his pontificate and a bag of coins from his pontificate as well”.
Here is what happens during the Pope’ s funeral
According to the programme released by Diego Ravelli, Titular Archbishop of Recanati and the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, the funeral Mass of the Roman Pontiff Francis, the first day of the Novendiali, will take place on April 25 at the parvis of St Peter’s Basilica at 10am.
Close sources say the funeral Mass will likely be celebrated inside St Peter’s, because of the late winter weather, and there is also the possibility that the crowds will be allowed to assemble on the plaza.
“The homily will reflect on the life and spirituality of the deceased pope; Francis himself preached at the funeral of his retired predecessor, Pope Benedict. And the future Pope Benedict, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, preached at the funeral of Pope St John Paul II when Ratzinger was the leader, or the dean, of all senior church officials – what's known as the College of Cardinals,” Joanne wrote.
The third station is where Pope Francis will be buried. Records have it that while popes in the past have been buried in several different places, after the legalisation of Christianity in the Roman Empire in the early fourth century, that changed, and popes would be interred in the catacombs, the burial grounds on the outskirts of Rome.
It is said that after the legalisation of Christianity, popes could be buried in a number of different locations, such as the Basilica of St John Lateran, the official cathedral of Rome or other churches in and around Rome. Reports say a few were even buried in France during the 14th century, when the papacy moved to the French border for political reasons.
According to CBS, majority of the popes have been buried in the grottoes underneath St Peter’s Basilica, and since Pope Leo XIII’s burial at St John Lateran in 1903, every pope has been buried at St Peter’s Basilica. Pope Francis broke this tradition when he demanded that he be buried at Santa Maria Maggiore.
A process across Rome to the burial site will take place during this period when he will be taken to his final resting place. After a few final prayers and a sprinkling of holy water, the coffin will be placed in its final location inside the church. Only later will the area be opened to the public for prayers and veneration.
According to the Vatican, in accordance with ancient custom, for nine consecutive days, particular celebrations of the Eucharist will be held in memory of the deceased Roman Pontiff, starting with the funeral Mass. These celebrations are open to all. However, each day they will involve the participation of a different group, taking into account its links with the Roman Pontiff. This variety of assemblies shows, in a certain way, both the scope of the ministry of the Supreme Pastor and the universality of the Church of Rome.
The nine-da programme
The funeral Mass of the Roman Pontiff Francis, the first day of the Novendiali, will take place tomorrow, 26 April at 10am, on the parvis of St Peter’s Basilica. In the subsequent days, the celebrations of the Novendiali in memory of the late Pope will continue as follows: 2nd day: Sunday, April 27, at 10:30am, on the parvis of the Vatican Basilica: employees and faithful of Vatican City State.
The concelebration will be presided over by His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, former Secretary of State. 3rd day: Monday April 28, at 5pm, in the Vatican Basilica: the Church of Rome. The concelebration will be presided over by His Eminence Cardinal Baldassare Reina, the vicar general of His Holiness for the diocese of Rome. 4th day: Tuesday, April 29 at 5pm, in the Vatican Basilica: the Chapters of the Papal Basilicas.
The concelebration will be presided over by His Eminence Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, archpriest of the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican. 5th day: Wednesday, April 30 at 5pm, in the Vatican Basilica: the Papal Chapel. The concelebration will be presided over by His Eminence Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, the vice dean of the College of Cardinals. 6th day: Thursday, May 1 at 5pm, in the Vatican Basilica: the Roman Curia.
The concelebration will be presided over by His Eminence Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church. 7th day: Friday, May 2 at 5pm, in the Vatican Basilica: the Eastern Churches.
The concelebration will be presided over by His Eminence Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, the former prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches. 8th day: Saturday, May 3 at 5pm, in the Vatican Basilica: the members of the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life.
The concelebration will be presided over by His Eminence Ángel Fernández Artime, the former pro-prefect of the Dicastery for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life. 9th day: Sunday, May 4 at 5pm, in the Vatican Basilica: the Papal Chapel.
The concelebration will be presided over by His Eminence Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, the protodeacon of the College of Cardinals. The concelebrations of the Papal Chapels on April 30 and May 4 are reserved to the cardinals only. They shall be present by 4:15pm in the Chapel of St Sebastian in the Basilica, bringing with them their white damask mitre.
In accordance with the Motu Proprio “Pontificalis Domus,” all the members of the Papal Chapel who wish to participate in the liturgical celebrations without concelebrating are required to wear their own choral habit.
