Although Pope Francis simplified the papal funeral rites in a move of typical modesty, Saturday’s ceremony will still be full of pomp and pageantry, as the world’s Catholics bid him farewell and cardinals in the Vatican ready themselves for the millennia-old process of picking a new pontiff.
Here’s what we know about the funeral of Pope Francis, who died of a heart attack and stroke on Easter Monday.
Where is Pope Francis’ body now?
After a period of rest in the chapel of Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican guesthouse where Francis lived during his papacy, his body will on Wednesday morning be moved to St. Peter’s Basilica. There, he will lie in state in an open coffin for three days, while cardinals and the wider public pay their respects to the late pontiff.
Francis’ coffin will then be carried into St. Peter’s Square – the piazza outside the basilica – for Saturday’s funeral.
When is the funeral?
Francis’ funeral will begin at 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. ET) Saturday – six days after his death. The last papal funeral – for Pope Benedict XVI in 2023 – was also held six days after his death.
Where will it be held?
The Vatican announced that Francis’ funeral will be held outside in St. Peter’s Square. Previous papal funerals have also been held outside, with thousands of mourners filling the open space in front of the basilica.
Francis’ funeral liturgy will be presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals – the group which will in the coming weeks be tasked with appointing a new pope.
How did Francis ‘simplify’ the ceremony?
The Vatican said the funeral will follow the rites laid out in the “Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis.” This liturgical book, detailing the procedures for papal funerals, was published in 2000 but revised by Francis last year.
Diego Ravelli, master of apostolic ceremonies, said Francis had sought to “simplify and adapt” the ceremony, so that the papal funeral is “that of a pastor and disciple of Christ, and not of a powerful person in this world.”
Who will attend?
A string of world leaders have confirmed they will travel to the Vatican for Saturday’s service. Javier Milei, the president of Francis’ native Argentina who had previously clashed with the pontiff over economic policy, will attend. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, president of neighboring Brazil who had a close relationship with Francis, is also going.
French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are among the major European leaders traveling to the Vatican.
US President Donald Trump will also attend.
Tens of thousands of others are expected to show up. About 50,000 people came to Benedict’s funeral in 2023, while around 300,000 attended John Paul’s in 2005.
Who won’t be?
Russian President Vladimir Putin has “no plans” to attend, the Kremlin said Tuesday.
Because the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Putin, police in Italy – one of the 125 ICC member states – would be obliged to detain him.
Where will Francis be buried?
In his will, Francis gave simple instructions for his burial: “The tomb should be in the ground; simple, without particular ornamentation, bearing only the inscription: Franciscus.”
Francis also said that throughout his life, he had always entrusted himself to the Virgin Mary. “For this reason, I ask that my mortal remains rest – awaiting the day of the Resurrection – in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major,” he wrote.
This basilica lies outside of the Vatican walls, on the other side of Rome’s River Tiber. After the funeral in the Vatican, Francis’ body will be transported there to be interred.
When does conclave start?
The process of choosing a new pope, known as conclave, is a combination of ancient tradition, religious ritual and politics. The voting takes place behind closed doors. Only cardinals under the age of 80 – slightly over half the total number – have a say in the decision.
Once the cardinals are assembled in Rome, usually around 15 days after the pope’s death, they meet in the Sistine Chapel to begin the decision-making process.
It typically takes between two and three weeks for a pope to be chosen, though it can stretch slightly beyond that if cardinals struggle to agree on a candidate.
Of the 135 cardinals eligible to appoint the next pontiff, Pope Francis installed 108.
That means four out of five votes in conclave will be cast by cardinals elevated by Francis, which has led some analysts to suspect they will appoint a successor who will continue to follow his pastoral priorities.