By Matik Kueth
The Holy See Press Office announced on Tuesday that Pope Francis’s funeral Mass is scheduled for Saturday, April 26.
The 88-year-old Argentine pontiff passed away on Monday due to a stroke, just weeks after spending five weeks in the hospital battling double pneumonia.
His funeral, set to begin at 10:00 a.m. (0800 GMT), will be conducted in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican and will attract massive crowds. His coffin, made of wood and zinc per his prior requests, will be brought into the basilica and then to Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome for a burial.
The date was set during the cardinals’ first “general congregation” meeting on Tuesday morning, initiating a historical process that will lead to the election of a new pope within the next three weeks.
The Vatican published images of the pontiff in his open coffin, and he will lie in state starting Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. (0700 GMT).
The pope’s body was viewed Monday night in the Casa Santa Marta chapel, where he spent his papacy before dying. He was wearing crimson papal regalia and holding a rosary.
Tributes have flowed in from across the world for Francis, a liberal reformer who succeeded Benedict XVI in 2013.
Argentina has set aside a week of national mourning, while India has decreed three days of state mourning in honor of the foreign leader—a major homage for its most populous country.
World leaders, including Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron, are set to attend the funeral, with Ukrainian President Zelensky also confirming his attendance.
Cardinals of all ages will be welcomed to the congregations, but only those under 80 will be able to vote for the next pope in the conclave, which will take place between 15 and 20 days after the pope’s death.
Following his death, Francis’s body was moved to the Santa Marta chapel and his apartment was sealed by the Vatican. According to his will, which was made public on Monday, he selected a plain tomb bearing just his name, “Franciscus,” in Latin.
His decision to be buried outside the Vatican at Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica will make him the first pope to be buried outside the Vatican in more than a century.
The body of Pope Francis lay in a casket.
According to his death certificate, he died from a stroke that led to a coma and “irreversible” heart failure, having recently been discharged from Rome’s Gemelli hospital on March 23.
Despite doctor recommendations for extended rest, Francis participated in several public events, appearing notably fatigued during Easter celebrations.
Born Jorge Bergoglio, Francis was the first pope from the Americas and the first Jesuit to lead the Catholic Church.
He was known for his energetic reform efforts, advocating for the marginalized, the environment, and social justice, though he never challenged the Church’s stances on abortion or priestly celibacy.
South Sudan is set to hold a memorial prayer for the pope on Friday, April 25.
Francis had visited South Sudan in February 2023, engaging with the country’s leaders and civil society to support the implementation of the peace agreement alongside Archbishop Welby and the Scottish Church’s moderator, Right Reverend Dr. Iain Greenshields.