Pope Francis’ funeral to be held in St Peter’s Square on Saturday

Posted: Friday, April 25, 2025. 1:10 pm CST.

Pope Francis’ coffin at St Peter’s Basilica – Photo Credit: Vatican Media

By Rubén Morales Iglesias: The funeral Mass for Pope Francis will take place on Saturday, April 26, at 10:00 am Vatican time (2:00 am Belize Time) in St. Peter’s Square. Presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, the ceremony will be attended by 250 cardinals, plus countless bishops, priests, religious figures, and a vast crowd of mourners from across the world, Vatican News reported.

Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, led the Roman Catholic Church for more than 12 years before passing away on Easter Monday at the age of 88. He was elected by the College of Cardinals on March 13, 2013, succeeding Pope Benedict XVI as the 266th pope in Italy’s history. The Argentine Jesuit was the first Latin American and the first non-European pope in more than a millennium. Selecting his name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi, he became a global symbol of humility, compassion, and reform.

Prior to the Funeral Mass, the liturgical Rite of Sealing Pope Francis’ coffin took place in St. Peter’s Basilica on Friday, April 25, at 8:00 pm Vatican time (12:00 pm Belize time).

His sealed wooden and zinc coffin will be placed before the Basilica’s altar, where hundreds of thousands of attendees, representing diverse backgrounds, will gather to bid farewell. The funeral Mass marks the first of nine Novemdiales Masses, held daily at St. Peter’s Basilica until May 4.

The liturgy will feature readings from the Acts of the Apostles, a Letter of Saint Paul, and the Gospel of John, along with multilingual prayers and a final tribute by the Sistine Chapel Choir.

Following the Mass, Pope Francis’ coffin will be transported to Saint Mary Major, where he often prayed before the icon of the Virgin Salus Populi Romani. The slow-paced funeral procession will pass through the streets of Rome, allowing citizens to pay their final respects.

Upon arrival at Saint Mary Major, the coffin will be welcomed by a group of poor and marginalized people—whom Pope Francis affectionately called the ‘last ones’ and who were always dear to his heart—before proceeding to a private burial at the altar. The pontifical coffin will be sealed, and official documents confirming the burial will be signed.

The ceremony is expected to conclude around 2:00 pm (6:00 am Belize), with leaders from 130 countries, including 12 monarchs, 55 heads of state, and 14 heads of Government, in attendance. The funeral will be broadcast worldwide, including via Vatican Media platforms.

As the world bids farewell to Pope Francis, many reflect on the Church he envisioned—the one that welcomes ‘everyone, everyone, everyone,’ as he tirelessly repeated throughout his papacy.

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