The body of Pope Francis in the Saint Martha Chapel at the Vatican, on April 22, 2025. (Credit: AFP)
The Vatican announced this morning that Pope Francis’ funeral will be held on Saturday, April 26, at 8 a.m. GMT (11 a.m Beirut time) in St. Peter's Square, in front of the basilica of the same name. The coffin will then be transferred to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in central Rome, where the pope will be buried.
The funeral is expected to be attended by hundreds of thousands of believers, as well as foreign leaders such as U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Holy See released early Tuesday the first images of Pope Francis in his open coffin, flanked by two Swiss guards in the chapel of the Vatican’s Santa Marta Residence, where he lived. In this photo and video taken Monday evening after the body was placed in the coffin, the pope, who died of a stroke at 88, is wearing a white mitre and a red chasuble, while his hands hold a rosary.
The cardinals were called for a first meeting at 09:00 a.m. (07:00 GMT), after which the date of the funeral for the head of the Catholic Church should be announced. The cardinals will also have the heavy task of electing his successor in a few weeks. The funeral is expected to take place between Friday and Sunday. As with John Paul II in 2005, dozens of heads of state and crowned heads will attend this solemn ceremony.
Donald Trump announced Monday evening that he would come with his wife Melania, despite the pope's harsh and repeated criticisms of his anti-immigrant policy. “We are looking forward to it!” the U.S. president wrote on his Truth Social network. Emmanuel Macron will also be there: “We will attend the pope's funeral, as is fitting,” he said from the island of Réunion, where he is visiting. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who thanked him Monday for “praying for peace in Ukraine and for Ukrainians,” also plans to attend the ceremony at Saint Peter’s Basilica.
Already weakened by severe pneumonia, the first South American and Jesuit pope in history succumbed, on Monday morning, to a stroke after a 12-year pontificate marked by great popularity but also fierce opposition within the Church.
His body is expected to be transferred from the Santa Marta residence to Saint Peter's Basilica starting Wednesday and will be displayed to believers, without a catafalque, in accordance with the wishes of the Argentine pope, who wanted to promote simplicity and sobriety.
In his will, Pope Francis said he wanted to be buried in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome in a tomb “without decoration” with only his name inscribed in Latin: “Franciscus.”
Unanimous tributes
All over the world, from Iran to Germany, including the United States, the EU, the U.N., Lebanon, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority, leaders have paid unanimous tribute to the pope. His compatriot, football star Lionel Messi whom he had met, referred to him as a “different, close, Argentine pope... Rest in peace, Pope Francis,” he wrote on Instagram.
Beijing on Tuesday offered its “condolences” and expressed the desire to continue developing its relations with the Vatican.
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The pope, discharged from the hospital on March 23, had made numerous public appearances in recent days despite doctors prescribing a strict two-month rest. Appearing exhausted on Sunday during Easter celebrations, he nevertheless took part in a “papamobile” crowd bath in St. Peter’s Square.
During his 12-year reign, “Papa Francesco” tirelessly advocated for the defense of migrants, the environment, and social justice, while not challenging the church’s stances on abortion or clerical celibacy. A fierce opponent of the arms trade, the former Archbishop of Buenos Aires remained powerless in the face of conflicts in Ukraine or the Middle East, despite countless appeals for peace. This politically astute, outspoken figure also aimed to reform the Curia — the central government of the Holy See — plagued by inertia, to increase the role of women and laypeople, and to clean up the Vatican's scandalous finances. In confronting the scourge of child molestation in the Church, he lifted the pontifical secrecy and required clergy and laity to report cases to their superiors. Nonetheless, he failed to satisfy victim advocacy organizations, which criticized him for not going far enough.