What to expect from Pope Francis funeralon Saturday

For his final journey, Pope Francis, dressed in red vestments and a traditional white cassock, will be carried to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore outside the Vatican on Saturday, where he will be laid to rest.Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio to Regina Maria Sivori and Mario Jose Francisco in Argentina, died on Monday, April 21, 2025, of a stroke and cardiac arrest, according to the Vatican.In the early morning of Easter Monday, Pope Francis suffered a stroke, followed by a coma.The former head of the Catholic Church then went into irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse and died at 88 years old, according to the Vatican.His final public appearance was on Easter Sunday, when he provided blessings to crowds of faithful at St.Peter’s Square.On Feb.

14, 2025, Pope Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where he received a medical diagnosis of double pneumonia and remained hospitalized for 38 days.On Tuesday morning, around 60 Catholic cardinals held their first meeting since Pope Francis’s death, from 9 a.m.to 10:30 a.m.

local time in Rome.The meeting began with a prayer for the deceased pontiff.The high-ranking priests swore to obey the rules of the funeral plans that Pope Francis made last year.Finally, Bergoglio’s final will and testament were read.He requested that the tomb read only “Franciscus,” with no mention of his 12-year papacy, a unique shift from the burial places of past popes.On Monday in Rome, a rosary service was held for Pope Francis in St.Peter’s Square by Cardinal Mauro Gambetti.Beginning Wednesday at 9 a.m.

local time (03:00 ET) and continuing until the funeral, Pope Francis’s body will lie in state at St.Peter’s Basilica, where mourners can pay their respects.The procession of Pope Francis’s body will pass through Santa Marta Square, the Square of the Roman Protomartyrs and the Arch of the Bells into St.

Peter’s Square before entering the Vatican Basilica.Mourners are welcome to pay their respects at...