All eyes have been on the Vatican since Pope Francis’s passing. On Monday, April 21, 2025, at 7:35 a.m., Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camarlengo and Prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, announced the Pontiff’s death. Since then, the world has awaited word on his final farewell, and today, the Vatican has confirmed the details of the arrangements.
Funeral Schedule and Venue
A day after his passing, alongside the first photos of his coffin in the chapel of Santa Marta, the Vatican confirmed the date and time: The funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, April 26, at 10 a.m. in St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City.
Global Attendance Expected
According to Italian media, up to 500,000 pilgrims from around the world are expected to attend the Pope Francis funeral. More than 70 heads of state and around ten monarchs have confirmed their attendance, including:
- Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
- France’s President Emmanuel Macron
- United States President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump
- Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenski
- Belgium’s King Felipe and Queen Matilde have also RSVP’d, mirroring the turnout for John Paul II’s funeral.
Procession Route and Liturgy
Tomorrow at 9 a.m., the late Pope’s coffin will be moved from Casa Santa Marta to St. Peter’s Basilica. Before the transfer, Cardinal Farrell will lead a brief prayer service. The official Vatican statement outlines the procession route and liturgy:
“The procession will pass through Piazza Santa Marta and the Piazza dei Protomartiri Romani; from the Arch of the Bells it will enter St. Peter’s Square and proceed through the central doors of St. Peter’s Basilica. Once at the Altar of the Confession, the Camarlengo will preside over the Liturgy of the Word, after which the faithful may pay their respects to the body of the Roman Pontiff.”
The lying‑in‑state will remain open for three days, allowing the faithful one final opportunity to bid farewell.
Pontiff’s Final Wishes: A Simple, Humble Rite
True to his ethos of humility and service, Pope Francis requested a stripped‑down ceremony. In April 2024, he revised the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis to eliminate the traditional three nested coffins and catafalque. His instructions read:
“I ask, as I have stated on various occasions, to simplify and adapt certain rites so that the funeral liturgy of the Bishop of Rome better expresses the Church’s faith in the Risen Christ. The renewed rite should underscore that the funeral of the Roman Pontiff is that of a shepherd and disciple of Christ, not of a powerful man of this world.”
After the Mass, Francis will be interred on the same day in Rome’s Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, completing a farewell as modest as his decades‑long ministry.