Pope Paul Francis funeral on Saturday 26 April
Pope Paul Francis funeral on Saturday 26 April
Pope Francis’ funeral has been set for Saturday at 10 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square, and a viewing of his body will begin on Wednesday in St. Peter’s Basilica.
Pope Francis died on Monday April 21, 2025, according to a statement released by the Vatican. The first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, who served 12 years, was 88. The Vatican said he died of a stroke, causing a coma and “irreversible” heart failure.
Pope Francis broke with tradition in choosing
St. Mary Major for burial
Pope Francis, who visited more than 60 countries amidst his papacy, will make his final journey along the road from Vatican City to the Esquiline, one of the seven hills of Rome, where he wanted to be buried in a last break from tradition.
Pope Francis often sought to bring a humble touch to his grand office. In that spirit he eschewed much of the Vatican’s traditional pomp and opted for simpler rites when making plans for his funeral and burial.
According to Vatican the funeral will be held on Saturday in St. Peter’s Square, in front of the Basilica of St. Peter, where most of his predecessors rest.
But his chosen resting place is the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (St. Mary Major), one of the main four churches of Christendom in Rome.
In his final testament, Pope Francis asked to be buried “in the earth, simple, without particular decoration” and with the inscription only of his papal name in Latin: Franciscus.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose foreign travel is limited by an International Criminal Court arrest warrant, will not attend Pope Francis’s funeral.
News Edit KV Raman
