Although Pope Francis simplified the papal funeral rites in a move of typical modesty, Saturday’s ceremony will still be full of pomp and pageantry, as the world’s Catholics bid him farewell and cardinals in the Vatican ready themselves for the millennia-old process of picking a new pontiff.
Here’s what we know about the funeral of Pope Francis, who died of a heart attack and stroke on Easter Monday.
Where is Pope Francis’ body now?
Francis’ body is lying in state in St. Peter’s Basilica, where cardinals and members of the public will be able to pay their respects for three days. Thousands of mourners are packed into the piazza outside, waiting in line to visit the pope’s coffin.
The body was transferred to the basilica from the chapel of Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican guesthouse where Francis lived during his papacy.
Francis’ coffin has been laid at the Altar of the Confessio, a sacred space near the basilica’s main altar, above the tomb of St. Peter, the first pope. In keeping with Francis’ push to simplify the papal rites, his body is lying in an open wooden coffin, having done away with the tradition of having three coffins of cypress, lead and oak.
When is the funeral?
Francis’ funeral will begin at 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. ET) Saturday – six days after his death. The last papal funeral – for Pope Benedict XVI in 2023 – was also held six days after his death.
At 8 p.m. Friday, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the “camerlengo” tasked with making arrangements for the pope’s funeral, will preside over the rite of the sealing of the coffin.
Where will it be held?
The Vatican announced that Francis’ funeral will be held mostly outside in St. Peter’s Square. Rome has enjoyed glorious sunshine for much of the week, and more blue skies are forecast Saturday.
Previous papal funerals have also been held outside, with thousands of the faithful filling the open space in front of the basilica.
Francis’ funeral liturgy will be presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals – the group that will in the coming weeks be tasked with appointing a new pope.
Although the bulk of the service will be held outside, Francis’ coffin will be brought back into the basilica after the eucharist, final commendation and valediction.
How did Francis ‘simplify’ the ceremony?
The Vatican said the funeral will follow the rites laid out in the “Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis.” This liturgical book, detailing the procedures for papal funerals, was published in 2000 but revised by Francis last year.
Some of those revisions have already been on display. Unlike after previous papal deaths, Francis’ body was placed immediately inside his coffin, which has been left open to allow people to pay their respects.
Diego Ravelli, master of apostolic ceremonies, said Francis had sought to “simplify and adapt” the rituals, so that the papal funeral is “that of a pastor and disciple of Christ, and not of a powerful person in this world.”
Elise Allen, CNN’s Vatican analyst, said Francis, the first Argentine pontiff, was the “pope of simplicity.”
“He lived that way in Buenos Airies, and he tried to bring that into the papacy and the way that he lived as pope because that’s something he wanted for the church itself – to be more simple, to be more in contact with reality, with the lives of people around,” Allen said.
Who will attend?
A string of political and religious leaders, royals and celebrities have confirmed they will be at the Vatican for Saturday’s service.
Javier Milei, the president of Francis’ native Argentina who had previously clashed with the pontiff over economic policy, will attend. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, president of neighboring Brazil who had a close relationship with Francis, is also going.
French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are among the major European leaders traveling to the Vatican.
US President Donald Trump will also attend.
Tens of thousands of others are expected to show up. About 50,000 people came to Benedict’s funeral in 2023, while around 300,000 attended John Paul’s in 2005.
Who won’t?
Russian President Vladimir Putin has “no plans” to attend, the Kremlin said Tuesday.
Because the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Putin, police in Italy – one of the 125 ICC member states – would be obliged to detain him.
Where will Francis be buried?
In his will, Francis gave simple instructions for his burial: “The tomb should be in the ground; simple, without particular ornamentation, bearing only the inscription: Franciscus.”
Francis also said that throughout his life, he had always entrusted himself to the Virgin Mary. “For this reason, I ask that my mortal remains rest – awaiting the day of the Resurrection – in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major,” he wrote.
This basilica lies outside of the Vatican walls, on the other side of Rome’s River Tiber. After the funeral in the Vatican, Francis’ body will be transported there to be interred.
When does conclave start?
The process of choosing a new pope, known as conclave, is a combination of ancient tradition, religious ritual and politics. The voting takes place behind closed doors. Only cardinals under the age of 80 – slightly over half the total number – have a say in the decision.
Once the 135 members of the College of Cardinals are assembled in Rome, they meet in the Sistine Chapel to begin the decision-making process.
Conclaves take as long as it takes for one of the cardinals to receive two-thirds of the vote. Over the centuries, it has taken hours, days, weeks and even years for a new pope to be chosen. Pope Francis was appointed in a little over a day.
Of the 135 cardinals eligible to appoint the next pontiff, Pope Francis installed 108.
That means four out of five votes in conclave will be cast by cardinals elevated by Francis. This has led some analysts to suspect they could appoint a successor who will follow Francis’ pastoral priorities.
CNN’s Olivia Kemp and Christopher Lamb contributed reporting.
