Cardinals meeting in the Vatican to plan Pope Francis’ funeral have confirmed it will be held on April 26 Saturday morning, which will start the first of nine days of mourning.
The update comes after the Vatican released images of the late Pope in an open casket, adorned in a red robe with the papal mitre and a rosary.
Pope Francis, 88, died following a stroke that led to a coma and irreversible heart failure, the Vatican announced. The pope was hospitalized for several weeks in February, after suffering from double pneumonia. He returned to the Vatican in mid-March to recover.
Bells tolled in chapels, cathedrals and churches globally and flags flew at half staff in Italy, India, Taiwan and the United States. Mourners teared up in cathedrals as they prayed for the late Pope.
Soccer matches in Italy and Argentina were also suspended in honor of the Argentine pope who was a lifelong fan of the San Lorenzo soccer club.
In his final testament, the pontiff requested to be buried at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome with the inscription of his papal name in Latin: Franciscus.
Pope Francis, the first pope from Latin America, led the 1.4 billion-member church since 2013. Dozens of world leaders and hundreds of thousands of worshippers are expected to attend Pope Francis’ funeral on Saturday.
So far, Argentinian President Javier Milei, US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have said they will attend.
By Agencies
