The Vatican has announced that Pope Francis will be buried on Saturday, April 26, at 10:00 local time.
According to the Vatican, Pope Francis’ body will be taken to St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday morning at 09:00 local time.
The Pope’s coffin will be there until the burial for the public to pay their respects.
His body is currently laid out in a coffin in the chapel of the Santa Marta residence, where he lived during his 12-year papacy.
Pope Francis’s funeral will take place outdoors in front of St Peter’s Basilica, and the dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, will lead the service.
At the end of the funeral, Re will deliver the final commendation, a concluding prayer where the Pope will be formally entrusted to God, and the body moved to St. Mary Major for the burial.
Read also: Pope Francis: The humble revolutionary who reshaped Catholic Church
Race to choose Pope Francis’ successor has begun
Pope Francis was a beacon of peace, humility – Gov. Oborevwori
Even before the Vatican announcement that Pope Francis’s funeral will take place on Saturday, a number of world leaders have already confirmed their attendance.
Within hours of Francis’s death, Argentinian President Javier Milei said he would attend the service.
US President Donald Trump said he will travel to Vatican City alongside First Lady Melania Trump.
French President Emmanuel Macron has also confirmed that he will be there, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is also expected to make an appearance.
Dozens of world leaders and religious figures are likely to attend the funeral, alongside hundreds of worshippers.
