Pope Francis’ funeral set for Saturday, world leaders expected

raoseanorth April 22, 2025

The mourners were held at the Syrian Catholic Church of Iraq (Al-Tahira-L-Kura), held in the Christian town of Qaraqosh (Baghdeda), Nineveh Province, on Monday, March 21, 2021, during the Iraq tour, Pope Francis, on March 21, 2021, on March 21, 2021, in 2021, in the Christian town of Nineveh Province (Baghdeda).

Pope Francis died unexpectedly after a stroke and suffered a cardiac arrest.
Funeral service will be held on Saturday at St. Peter’s Square
U.S. President Trump and Ukrainian President will participate.

The Vatican announced Tuesday that the funeral of Pope Francis will be held on Saturday, with U.S. President Donald Trump going to Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine saying they will attend to honor Catholic leaders.

The 88-year-old Argentinian died of a stroke on Monday, less than a month after five weeks of struggling with double pneumonia from the hospital.

His funeral is expected to attract a large crowd and will be held on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. (GMT) in the square in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican.

Francis’s coffin (the one he ordered should be wood and zinc) will then be taken to the church, and from there it will be taken to the Roman Cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore for burial.

The date was set by the first so-called “universal congregation” on Tuesday morning, and the event kicked off a process of centuries before finally being elected as the new pope within three weeks.

The pilgrim walked the cross with St. Peter's Basilica in the background of the Vatican on the day after the death of the Pope, April 22, 2025. — The pilgrim walked the cross with St. Peter’s Basilica in the background of the Vatican on the day after the death of the Pope, April 22, 2025.

Earlier, the Vatican published its first images on his open coffin before moving to St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. (0700 GMT).

The pontiff’s body was taken on Monday night during a service at the chapel of the Vatican residence Casa Santa Marta, where he lived in his 12-year pope and where he died.

Francis wore his red papal costume with a bevel cut on his head and a rosary between his fingers.

Francis, a Liberal reformer, took over after the resignation of German theologian Benedict XVI in 2013.

His home country Argentina prepares for a week of national mourning, while India begins three days of national mourning on Tuesday, a rare honor for foreign religious leaders in the world’s most populous country.

Expecting his funeral to be in charge of the state and royal heads, Trump and France’s Emmanuel Macron were the first to announce that they would attend before even confirming their date.

On Tuesday, a source with the Ukrainian president told AFP Zelensky will also come to Rome.

Although only under 80 years of age are eligible to vote for a new pope at the meeting, cardinals of all ages are invited to the congregation.

The 15th day after the Pope’s death shall be no less than 15 days.

Simple grave

The Vatican said the papal’s body was moved into the church of Santa Mata on Monday night and his apartment was officially sealed.

Pope Francis brought white roses to the Virgin Mary in a weekly audience at St Peters Square in the Vatican on December 9, 2015. — Pope Francis brought white roses to the Virgin Mary every week at the general audience at St Peter’s Square in the Vatican on December 9, 2015.

Francis, wearing a normal robe and avoiding the luxury of his ex, chose a simple grave, with no play in his will except for his name in Latin Franciscus.

To be buried in the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome, he will become the first pope to rest outside the Vatican in more than 100 years.

The Vatican-free death certificate says Francis died of a stroke, causing coma and “irreversible” heart failure.

He was discharged from the Jegli Hospital in Rome on March 23 and ordered a break for at least two months.

But Francis never spent the holidays and was happy to be his flock, and he has been in public in recent days.

He was exhausted on Sunday of Easter celebrations, but despite this, he greeted the crowd in Popemobile in St. Peter’s Square.

The great Lionel Messi of Argentine football praised his fellow countrymen – himself a huge fan of the Beautiful Game – for “making the world a better place.”

God’s eyes

On Monday night, thousands of faithful people, some with flowers or candles, flocked to St. Peter’s Square at sunset to pray for Francis.

He “try to make people understand that it has nothing to do with your sexual orientation, your race, it doesn’t matter in the eyes of God,” Mateo Rey, a 22-year-old Mexican student, told 22-year-old AFP.

“I think this is the closest thing to Jesus’ intention.”

Pope Francis provided some candy to musicians during a welcome ceremony in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea on September 7, 2024. —AFP

Born in Jorge Bergoglio, Francis was the first pope in the Americas and the first Jesuit to lead the Catholic Church worldwide.

He was a dynamic reformer who tried to open the church to everyone and was very popular – but his views also sparked intense internal opposition.

During his 12 years as Pope, Francis has relentlessly advocated for the defense of immigration, environmental and social justice without questioning the church’s position on abortion or priestly celibacy.

Francis was outspoken and stubborn, trying to reform the governance of the Holy See and expand the role of women and lay figures, and clean up the vague financial situation in the Vatican.

Faced with the revelation of widespread child sexual abuse in the church, he raised the apostle secrets, forcing religion and laymen to report cases to their superiors.

However, the victims’ group said he didn’t go far enough.

AFP’s thumbnail image