Vatican has announced that Pope Francis would be buried on Saturday, April 26.
Pope Francis died from stroke and heart failure on Easter Monday, according to an announcement by the Vatican, after battling a protracted illness.
The burial of a pope typically occurs between the fourth and sixth day after death, according to norms first established in 1966 and reaffirmed in later ritual updates. This time frame allows for several essential rites and traditions.
The Holy See press office said yesterday that the pontiff’s body would be transferred to St Peter’s Basilica today (Wednesday) to lie in state until his funeral on Saturday morning.
Dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista will preside at the funeral mass, which will be co-celebrated by patriarchs, cardinals, archbishops, bishops and priests from across the globe, the statement added.
In his final wishes, Francis asked to be buried without elaborate decoration, marked only by the inscription, ‘Franciscus.’
The pope stated that an anonymous benefactor would cover the cost of his funeral.
His will was written in 2022.
The last pope to die in office before Francis was Pope John Paul II, who passed on April 2, 2005.
Pope Benedict XVI, who succeeded him, resigned in 2013 — the first pope to resign since 1294.
Benedict XVI passed away on December 31, 2022 at Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican at the age of 95.
Francis, his successor, died at 88.
He was the first Latin American and the first Jesuit to be ordained pope. He was also the first to take the name Francis in honour of Saint Francis of Assisi.
