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Vatican Reveals Pope Francis’ Funeral Schedule—Here’s Everything You Need to Know

By Shrobana Rakshit
Before a funeral, mourners will have one last chance to see Pope Francis's body. The cherished head of the Catholic church will be honored on Saturday, April 26 in the center of Vatican City. Francis has been laying in state since Wednesday at St. Peter's Basilica, the papal palace in Rome, after suffering a stroke, going into a coma, and passing away on Easter Monday at the age of 88. Tens of thousands of devotees have since lined up for several blocks to offer their last respects to Francis, who is wearing crimson vestments and a traditional white bishop's miter. The funeral, which will be an international event attended by world leaders, will take place the next day after the public visitation ends on Friday, April 25. https://youtu.be/cfF1LNUZIfE?si=b8J5XwPAgt4rF44E Here's everything we know about the schedule in the coming days:

Visitation time to be extended as Francis lies in state, says Vatican

Following a huge crowd that waited for blocks on April 23 and 24 to view Pope Francis lying in state, the Vatican was thinking of extending the time that devout people might enter St. Peter's Basilica to offer their respects. In order to accommodate mourners who had waited for hours to stop by the open casket, St. Peter's Basilica, which was supposed to close at midnight on Wednesday, April 23, stayed open until 5:30 a.m. local time on Thursday, April 24. Unless the Vatican decides to extend the viewing hours once again, the basilica was scheduled to stay open until midnight on Thursday. On Friday, April 25, the basilica is already set to be accessible to mourners for a third and last day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. On Friday at 8 p.m. local time (2 p.m. ET), Irish-American Cardinal Kevin Farrell was supposed to preside over the ceremony of sealing the pope's casket.

What time is Pope Francis' funeral?

On Saturday, April 26, at 10:00 a.m. local time (4 a.m. ET), Pope Francis will be laid to rest. It is anticipated that about 200,000 people would attend.

Who will preside over the service?

According to the Vatican, patriarchs, cardinals, archbishops, bishops, and priests from all over the world will attend the funeral Mass, which will be presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals.

Where is Pope Francis' funeral?

The funeral will be held in Vatican City's well-known St. Peter's Square, a sizable plaza in front of the basilica.

Funeral to be less lavish but follow some traditions

Francis altered the church's book on funeral procedures and desired a less lavish burial than is customary for popes, although some of the customary components are still present. One of these is the procedure's three stations, which are called after the locations of those crucial moments: Station Three is at the burial site, which in this case will be the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome; Station One is at the residence of the pope; and Station Two is at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.

Who is attending Pope Francis' funeral?

World leaders from all across the world will attend the solemn ceremony. According to the White House, President Donald Trump, who has already declared that he and First Lady Melania Trump will travel to Rome for the funeral, is scheduled to depart Washington, D.C., on Friday morning and return to the United States on Saturday. According to Kensington Palace, Prince William of Britain, the son of King Charles III, will attend the funeral on his father's behalf. Keir Starmer, the prime minister of the UK, will also be present.

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