Pope Francis's body to lie in state in St Peter's from Wednesday.The funeral of Pope Francis who died on Monday aged 88 will take place in St Peter's on Saturday 26 April at 10.00, the Vatican has confirmed.  The funeral liturgy is to be presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals.   In his will, published by the Vatican, Francis asked that he be buried in a simple underground tomb in the papal basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, or St Mary Major.   The funeral will mark the first of nine days of mourning after which the conclave - the process to choose a new pope - will begin on 5 May.   Francis's coffin will be taken to St Peter's Basilica at 09.00 on Wednesday where the late pontiff will lie in state for three days.   The decisions were taken following a meeting of the College of Cardinals on Tuesday morning, as planning gets underway for the pope's funeral.   The administration of the Vatican during the papal interregnum - the period between the death of a pope and the election of a new one - is entrusted to the camerlengo, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who will also oversee arrangements for the conclave.