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Saturday’s funeral will kick off the traditional Novendiales, nine consecutive days of mourning for the suffrage of the late pope. He will be buried at the Basilica of St. Mary Major.
The first of thousands of pilgrims were already lining up along the streets to catch a glimpse of the late pontiff as his body passes by on the way to the Basilica of St. Mary Major.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the camerlengo, presided over the rite of the closing and sealing of the coffin.
Long lines of mourners, many waiting more than four hours under the hot Roman sun, wound around St. Peter’s Square on the first day of viewing on April 23.
The College of Cardinals saw a significant increase in attendance at Wednesday's General Congregation, with 103 cardinals now present in Rome — nearly double the approximately 60 who participated in Tuesday's initial gathering.
The rite began in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta and ended with the Holy Father’s body before the Altar of Confession in St. Peter’s Basilica.
Various factors are at play when it comes to the decision of a burial place for a pope. Pope Francis has chosen the Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore.
At the first general congregation of cardinals in Rome on Tuesday, the estimated 60 cardinals in attendance chose the date of Pope Francis’ funeral.
Pope Francis greeted the faithful around the world for the last time from St. Peter’s Basilica on the most important day for Christians: Easter.
Father Gabriel Romanelli, the pastor of Holy Family Parish in Gaza, summed up Pope Francis’ last call on Saturday night, April 19, moments before the Easter Vigil.
“We must not be afraid of old age, we must not fear embracing becoming old,” wrote Francis in the preface to a book in Italian by Cardinal Angelo Scola.
His words often focused on the dignity of the poor, migrants, refugees, and the elderly as well as the importance of marriage, family life, and care for the environment.
The Vatican on Tuesday released the first photos of Pope Francis after his death, showing him dressed in red vestments and lying in a simple, wooden coffin inside the chapel of the Santa Marta guesthouse.
In accordance with his personal wishes, Francis will not be buried in the Vatican grottoes but instead at the Basilica of St. Mary Major.
The Holy See on Monday evening released the death certificate detailing the cause of death of Pope Francis, who died in his Vatican apartment at 7:35 a.m. in Rome on April 21, the day after Easter.
EWTN Chairman of the Board and CEO Michael Warsaw on Monday mourned the passing of Pope Francis, calling the pontiff’s death at 88 on Monday a “moment of personal grief for Catholics around the world.”
Cardinal Kevin Farrell presided over the rite in the chapel of Pope Francis’ Vatican residence, the Casa Santa Marta, just a little over 12 hours after the pontiff’s death.
Thousands of Catholics gathered together in prayer for the Holy Father, who passed away at age 88 due to complications from a medical crisis earlier in the spring.
The death of Pope Francis begins the so-called “sede vacante,” a period when the See of Peter lies vacant. The time of the sede vacante after the pope’s death brings with it a series of symbols, traditions, and protocols that have existed for centuries and express the papacy’s essence.