Pope's funeral procession will be held at walking pace through the streets of Rome.The funeral of Pope Francis will be held in St Peter's Square at the Vatican on Saturday 26 April at 10.00, after three days of lying in state in the papal basilica.Almost 130,000 mourners have paid their respects to the late pontiff since Wednesday morning, with St Peter's Basilica staying open throughout the night to cope with the crowds. In keeping with his request to simplify the papal funeral rites, Pope Francis' body is lying in an open wooden casket, after he eliminated the tradition of having three coffins of cypress, lead and oak. The public viewing will end on Friday evening at 19.00 after which the Vatican Camerlengo, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, will preside at the Rite of Sealing the Coffin at 20.00, in a ceremony that will be broadcast live on Vatican News' channels. The Camerlengo is entrusted with the administration of the Vatican during the papal interregnum - the period between the death of a pope and the election of a new one. On Saturday morning, St Peter's Square will host dozens of world leaders and foreign delegations, cardinals, priests and hundreds of thousands of faithful who will attend Pope Francis' funeral. Tickets are not required for the event but expect huge crowds, with Rome even busier than usual as this is Jubilee Year. The city has boosted its transport services and will televise the funeral ceremony on giant screens on Via della Conciliazione as well as in Piazza Pia, Piazza Risorgimento and Piazza Esquilino. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside over the funeral liturgy and deliver the final commendation and valediction when the pope's coffin is taken inside St Peter's Basilica. The late pontiff's body will then be transferred for burial in Rome’s Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, or St Mary Major, located about six kilometres from St Peter's. The funeral procession, which will be held at walking pace, will cross the bridge onto Corso Vittorio Emanuele and continue through Piazza Venezia, past the Imperial Forums, along Via Labicana and up Via Merulana to Santa Maria Maggiore. A group of poor people will welcome late pontiff's body at St Mary Major, the Vatican has said. The burial will not be open to the public however people will can pay their respects to Pope Francis during the funeral procession whose route will be lined with barriers, the prefect of Rome Lamberto Giannini said. The funeral will mark the start of the Novemdiales, an ancient tradition of nine days of mourning, after which the conclave - the process to choose a new pope - is set to begin sometime between 6 and 11 May. Pope Francis's tomb is being prepared at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. pic.twitter.com/LkUu0frqpl — Wanted in Rome (@wantedinrome) April 23, 2025 Pope Francis’ tomb in the Basilica of St Mary Major has been made with marble from Liguria, the Italian region of his grandparents. In accordance with his final wishes, it is a simple tomb bearing only the inscription “Franciscus” and a reproduction of the his pectoral cross. The late pontiff had a special devotion to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. Over the course of his 12-year pontificate he made more than 100 visits to the fifth-century papal basilica where he would pray to the Marian icon of 'Maria Salus Populi Romani' before and after trips abroad. In choosing his beloved Santa Maria Maggiore as his final resting place, Francis will become the first pope in more than a century not to be buried in St Peter's. The pope's tomb can be visited from the morning of Sunday 27 April, the day after his burial, the Vatican has confirmed. Photo credit: Alessia Pierdomenico / Shutterstock.com.

The funeral of Pope Francis will be held in St Peter's Square at the Vatican on Saturday 26 April at 10.00, after three days of  in the papal basilica. Almost 130,000 mourners have paid their respects to the late pontiff since Wednesday morning, with St Peter's Basilica to cope with the crowds. In keeping with his request to simplify the papal funeral rites, Pope Francis' body is lying in an open wooden casket, after he eliminated the tradition of having three coffins of cypress, lead and oak. The public viewing will end on Friday evening at 19.00 after which the Vatican Camerlengo, , will preside at the Rite of Sealing the Coffin at 20.00, in a ceremony that will be broadcast live on Vatican News' channels. The Camerlengo is entrusted with the administration of the Vatican during the papal interregnum - the period between the death of a pope and the election of a new one. On Saturday morning, St Peter's Square will host dozens of and foreign delegations, cardinals, priests and hundreds of thousands of faithful who will attend . Tickets are not required for the event but expect huge crowds, with Rome even busier than usual as this is . The city has boosted its transport services and will televise the funeral ceremony on giant screens on Via della Conciliazione as well as in Piazza Pia, Piazza Risorgimento and Piazza Esquilino. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside over the funeral liturgy and deliver the final commendation and valediction when the pope's coffin is taken inside St Peter's Basilica. The late pontiff's body will then be transferred for , or St Mary Major, located about six kilometres from St Peter's. The funeral procession, which will be held at walking pace, will cross the bridge onto Corso Vittorio Emanuele and continue through Piazza Venezia, past the Imperial Forums, along Via Labicana and up Via Merulana to Santa Maria Maggiore. A group of poor people will welcome late pontiff's body at St Mary Major, the Vatican has said. The burial will not be open to the public however people will can pay their respects to Pope Francis during the funeral procession whose route will be lined with barriers, the prefect of Rome Lamberto Giannini said. The funeral will mark the start of the Novemdiales, an ancient tradition of nine days of mourning, after which the conclave - the process to - is set to begin sometime between 6 and 11 May. Pope Francis's tomb is being prepared at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. — Wanted in Rome (@wantedinrome) Pope Francis’ tomb in the Basilica of St Mary Major has been made with marble from Liguria, the Italian region of his grandparents. In accordance with his final wishes, it is a simple tomb bearing only the inscription “Franciscus” and a reproduction of the his pectoral cross. The late pontiff had a special devotion to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. Over the course of his he made more than 100 visits to the fifth-century papal basilica where he would pray to the Marian icon of 'Maria Salus Populi Romani' before and after trips abroad. In choosing his beloved Santa Maria Maggiore as his final resting place, Francis will become the first pope in more than a century not to be buried in St Peter's. The pope's tomb can be visited from the morning of Sunday 27 April, the day after his burial, the Vatican has confirmed. Photo credit: Alessia Pierdomenico / Shutterstock.com.