The funeral of Pope Francis, who died on Monday at age 88, will be held this Saturday at 10 am in the Plaza de San Pedro, as confirmed by the Vatican. The Mass will be officiated by the dean of the Cardinal College, Giovanni Battista rethe ceremony is already planned to attend heads of state from all over the world.
At the end of the funeral mass, the Pope’s coffin will be transferred to the Basilica of Santa María la Mayor de Rome To be buried, the Argentine Pontiff was written in his will.
Kings Felipe VI and Letizia, who on Tuesday have come with Queen Sofia to the Apostolic Nunciature of Madrid to sign in the Pope’s condolence book, They will preside over the Spanish delegation that on Saturday he will attend the funeral in the Plaza de San Pedro.
The Government, however, has not yet confirmed If the president will attend, Pedro Sánchezalthough the Minister of the Presidency, Félix Bolaños, has assured that Spain will be represented by a delegation “at the height of the affection” to the Pontiff and the “institutional respect and cooperation” that it maintains with the Holy See and the Catholic Church.
Yes, the highest European Union authorities will be present because the presidents of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyenand of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, as well as the president of the European Council, António Costa, have already confirmed that they will travel to Rome to attend the ceremony. The presence of the United States, Donald Trumpand that of France, Emmanuel Macron.
The Ukrainian President, Volodimir Zelenskiwhich was received by Pope Francis last October in the Vatican, is another of the world leaders who has announced his intention to go to the funeral, who will not attend his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, as the Kremlin has advanced.
Transfer of the coffin to the Basilica of San Pedro
Before funeral, the faithful may pay tribute to Pope Francis in The Basilica of San Pedrowhere the coffin will be transferred on Wednesday, at 9 am.
The transfer of the Pontiff will begin with a moment of prayer, chaired by the Camarlengo of the Holy Roman Church, currently Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell. The patriarchs and cardinals, dressed in their respective coral habitswill meet in the chapel of the residence of Santa Marta, at 8.45, as detailed by the Holy See.
Subsequently, the procession will pass through the Plaza Santa Marta and the Plaza de los Protomártirtartes Romanos and From the arc of the bells it will go to the Plaza de San Pedro and will enter the Vatican Basilica through the central door. Then, at the altar of the confession, under the bucket, Cardinal Camarlengo will preside over the liturgy of the word, at the end of which the visit of the faithful will begin.
The body has been deposited In a single wooden coffin With the interior of Zinc and will be exposed directly in the open coffin, but not in a catafalco as it had been so far and the papal staff will be placed during this exhibition.
