Funeral of Pope Francis: A Global Farewell

The funeral of Pope Francis will take place on Saturday morning at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican, where hundreds of thousands of faithful and foreign leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, are expected to gather.

Following the Mass, which will begin at 10:00 AM local time (08:00 GMT), the pope's coffin will be transferred to the Basilica of St. Mary Major in central Rome, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. There, the pope will be laid to rest in accordance with his wishes outlined in his will.

On Tuesday morning, the Vatican released the first images of Pope Francis lying in his open coffin, flanked by two Swiss Guards in the chapel of the Santa Marta residence in the Vatican, where he had lived. His remains will be moved to St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday morning at 07:00 GMT, to be displayed to the public without a catafalque, fulfilling the late pope’s wish for simplicity and sobriety in papal funeral rites.

Photos and video taken on Monday evening, after the pope’s body was prepared, show him wearing a white mitre and red chasuble, with his hands holding a rosary. Sister Nathalie Becquart, Undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops, who paid her respects in front of the coffin, described the moment as “very moving, very touching,” expressing both sadness and gratitude for the pope’s dedication until the end.

"For us, it's a time of mourning," she said. "The Church is like a big family, and in moments like this, for those who knew the pope closely, who served him, we lose someone very dear."

Since the pope’s death, the cardinals have been meeting behind closed doors from 09:00 AM (07:00 GMT) to discuss the arrangements for the funeral. The 135 cardinal electors, those under 80, will also bear the responsibility of electing the pope’s successor during the upcoming conclave, expected to begin in early May.

As with the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005, dozens of heads of state and royals are expected to attend, under tight security.

President Trump has confirmed he will attend with his wife, Melania, despite the pope’s frequent criticisms of his anti-immigrant policies. "We are looking forward to being there!" the U.S. president wrote on Truth Social.

President Macron has also confirmed his attendance: “We will be at the pope’s funeral, as we should,” he stated while in La Réunion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who thanked the pope on Monday for praying for peace in Ukraine and for the Ukrainian people, is also expected to attend the ceremony at St. Peter’s Basilica.

The death of the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics has dominated international headlines. Several Italian newspapers referred to him as “the pope of the forgotten,” while the British newspaper The Guardian called him a “revolutionary pope.”

At the Vatican on Tuesday morning, hundreds of journalists from around the world gathered, while the Italian police sealed off access to St. Peter’s Square to manage the flow of tourists and pilgrims.