Funeral Mass of Pope Franscis gets declared

2025-04-23 02:37:31

(MENAFN) The funeral Mass for Pope Francis will take place on Saturday, April 26, in St. Peter’s Square, as announced by the Holy See Press Office on Tuesday. The ceremony will be led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the Dean of the College of Cardinals, and will be concelebrated by patriarchs, cardinals, archbishops, bishops, and priests from around the world.

Following the Mass, the late Pope’s body will be taken into St. Peter’s Basilica and then transported to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore for entombment. The Vatican also confirmed that Pope Francis’ body will lie in state at St. Peter’s Basilica starting on Wednesday, April 23, allowing the faithful to pay their respects. Viewing will be available daily from 9:00 am until the day of the funeral.

Pope Francis passed away on the morning of Easter Monday at the age of 88 at his residence in Casa Santa Marta, Vatican City. The official cause of death was a stroke, followed by a coma and irreversible heart failure. He had been suffering from various chronic illnesses, including pneumonia, hypertension, and diabetes. His last public appearance was on April 20 during Easter Mass, where he waved to the crowd despite his declining health.

In his final testament, the Pope requested a modest burial in the ground with a simple inscription reading: "Franciscus." His final resting place will be in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, near the iconic Virgin Mary image, Salus Populi Romani, instead of the traditional papal tomb in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires in 1936, Pope Francis was elected as the first Latin American and first Jesuit pope in 2013. His papacy focused on humility, social justice, and interfaith dialogue, and he was admired for his advocacy for the poor, his environmental efforts, and his initiatives to reform the Catholic Church. He also made strides in improving relations with other religious groups, including meetings with leaders from the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, and the Russian Orthodox Church.

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