In brief
Mourners worldwide will pay their respects to Pope Francis at his funeral Mass on Saturday in St. Peter's Square. Expected to attract numerous dignitaries, cardinals, and priests, the event will be broadcast globally, allowing millions to participate virtually. Here’s everything you need to know about the ceremony.
The funeral is scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. Eastern) in St. Peter’s Square, as announced by the Vatican. Major U.S. television networks including NBC, CBS, CNN, and ABC will provide coverage, while the BBC and the Vatican's YouTube channel will also stream the event live.The rites will follow longstanding customs, with a public Mass led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals. Reflecting Pope Francis's wishes for simplicity, the ceremony will utilize one wooden coffin, a departure from the multi-coffin practices of the past.Once the Mass concludes, Pope Francis will be laid to rest in the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, a site with historical significance, where seven other popes are entombed. In his will, Francis expressed a desire for a simple grave, marked solely by the name “Franciscus.”Masses in churches across Rome will commemorate Francis over the nine days following the funeral. Attendees of the funeral will include international leaders like former President Trump, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Argentine President Javier Milei, and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, emphasizing the global impact of his papacy.
