Topline
Pope Francis’ funeral will take place on Saturday, the Vatican announced Tuesday, after the College of Cardinals officially met for the first time since the catholic leader’s death to plan for his last rites and the subsequent process of choosing his successor.
Pope Francis’s body is laid out in state inside his private chapel at the Vatican.
Key Facts
The Vatican released photos of Francis lying in state at his residence, Casa Santa Marta and announced that the casket will be moved to St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday.
Officials said the “translation of the body” to the Basilica is being done to “allow all the faithful to pay their respects.”
Saturday’s funeral mass will be presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals—the body whose members will elect the next pope.
A nine day period of mourning will be observed after the funeral and then the Pope’s body will be “taken into St. Peter’s Basilica and then to the Basilica of St. Mary Major for entombment,” according to Vatican News.
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Why Will Pope Francis’ Funeral Be Different From His Predecessors?
Last year, Francis revised various papal funeral rites and rituals to cut back a lot of the associated pomp and pageantry. Traditionally, a deceased pope was laid to rest inside three stacked coffins, made of cypress wood, lead, and oak. However, after the changes enacted by him last year, Francis’ body is being placed inside a wooden coffin with a zinc coffin inside it. On Monday night, the acting head of the Vatican and the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, presided over a ceremony to officially ascertain Francis’ death and put his body in the coffin. On Wednesday, Farrell will also preside over the “rite of translation” under which Francis’ body will be moved to St. Peter’s Basilica. Another key reform implemented by Francis will allow his body to be buried outside the Vatican. So instead of St. Peter’s Basilica, Francis will be buried in St. Mary Major Basilica, across town in Rome.
What Happens After The Pope’s Body Is Moved To St. Peter’s Basilica?
Farrell will lead the procession bring the pope’s body to St. Peter’s Basilica, after which the body will lie in state in the wooden coffin. This is another change implemented by Francis as the bodies of earlier popes were placed on an elevated platform when the laid in state at the Basilica. A day before the funeral, Farrell will oversee the sealing of the pope’s coffin.
What Do We Know About The Cause Of The Pope’s Death?
On Monday, health officials at the Vatican announced that the cause of Francis’ death has been “identified as a stroke, followed by a coma and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse.” The Pope was suffering from major health issues in the months leading up to his death and had to be hospitalized for 38 in February and March due to bilateral pneumonia and bronchitis. Aside from these two conditions, the Vatican said the pope also suffered from “high blood pressure and Type II diabetes.”
This is a developing story.