synopsis

Vatican has confirmed that Pope Francis will be laid to rest on Saturday. He died on April 21.

Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21, 2025, at the age of 88, will be laid to rest on Saturday, April 26, at 10:00 local time (09:00 BST, 08:00 GMT), the Vatican has confirmed. 

His funeral will reflect the simplicity that characterized his 12-year papacy. In a departure from traditional papal funerals, Francis had requested a single wooden coffin lined with zinc, foregoing the customary three-coffin practice. 

 

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The open coffin, featuring the pontiff dressed in a red robe with a papal mitre and rosary in hand, has been displayed for public viewing at St. Peter's Basilica. 

 

 

This arrangement allows mourners to pay their respects while the body remains inside the coffin, without the use of a raised platform or catafalque, as was customary for previous popes .​

Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals, is scheduled to lead the service.

At the conclusion of the funeral, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re will offer the final commendation—a solemn prayer entrusting Pope Francis to God—before his body is taken to the Basilica of St. Mary Major for burial.