Mourners will have the opportunity to view the body of Pope Francis in St Peter’s Basilica from Wednesday, before his funeral takes place this weekend.
Over the next three days, it is expected that tens of thousands of people will travel to the Vatican City to pay their respects to the pontiff, who passed away at the age of 88 on Easter Monday.
Following his funeral on Saturday morning at 9am (UK time), there will be a nine-day mourning period, known as “novendiali”. After this, the meeting called “conclave” will take place to elect a new pope, which is scheduled to happen between 5 and 10 May.
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The conclave to choose his successor must start between 5 and 10 May.
The first images of his body were released on Tuesday, showing him in red robes and his bishop’s mitre in a wooden casket.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, standing over the body of Pope Francis. Pic: Reuters
The Vatican secretary of state was shown praying over him in the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta hotel where he lived and died.
Previous popes were entombed in three coffins: the first made of wood, another of lead and a third, again made of wood. But in 2024, Francis changed the rules and said that only one coffin, a wooden one lined in zinc, should be used.
In a break from tradition, he will be buried in the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (St Mary Major), according to his wishes.
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3D map shows pope’s funeral route
Following the pope’s death, from a stroke and heart failure, world leaders have praised his moral leadership and compassion.
On Tuesday, Sir Keir Starmer described him as “a quite remarkable man, and the work and commitment that he put into fairness over so many years, and globally, I think will be a real lasting legacy”.
Sir Keir will join a growing list of dignitaries who will attend the funeral on Saturday, including Prince William, French President Emmanuel Macron, Ireland’s prime minister Micheal Martin, Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia, and Donald Trump.
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Huge numbers have attended the funerals of Pope Francis’s predecessors.
In 2023, around 50,000 people attended the funeral of Benedict XVI, according to the Washington Post. In 2005, around 300,000 went to the funeral of John Paul II.
Once the conclave begins, cardinals vote in secret sessions in the Sistine Chapel.
After voting sessions, the ballots are burned in a special stove. Black smoke indicates that no pope has been elected, while white smoke indicates that the cardinals have chosen the next head of the Catholic Church.
