VATICAN: Pope Francis to be Laid to Rest on Saturday, April 26, at Basilica of St. Mary Major
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
Following the death of Pope Francis, which occurred on Easter Monday, April 21, the Vatican has announced that the body will be laid to rest on Saturday, April 26, at the Basilica of St. Mary Major.
The funeral Mass is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square, led by His Eminence Giovanni Cardinal Battista Re, the Dean of the College of Cardinals, and concelebrated by Patriarchs, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, and priests from across the globe.
To honour Pope Francis’ request of his burial site, the body will then be interred at the Basilica of St. Mary Major due to his deep devotion to the Virgin Mary and the revered icon Salus Populi Romani housed within the Basilica.
Pope Francis’ burial marks a significant departure from tradition, as he will be the first pontiff in over a century to be buried outside the Vatican’s grotto crypt in St. Peter’s Basilica.
The Vatican has declared a nine-day mourning period, known as the “novemdiales,” during which the faithful will pay their respects. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, April 23, the coffin containing the Pope’s body will be carried from the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta to St. Peter’s Basilica. The body will then lie in state until his funeral on Saturday.
