The Vatican has announced that the funeral Mass for Pope Francis will take place on Saturday, April 26, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square.
According to a statement by the Holy See Press Office on Tuesday, the Mass will be led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals. Patriarchs, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, and priests from around the world are expected to concelebrate the Eucharistic ceremony.
The funeral will conclude with the Ultima commendatio and the Valedictio, traditional rites that mark the official start of the Novemdiales—a nine-day period of mourning and liturgies for the repose of the Pope’s soul.
Following the ceremony, Pope Francis’ remains will be transferred into St. Peter’s Basilica, and later entombed at the Basilica of St. Mary Major.
Prior to the funeral, the Pope’s body will be moved on Wednesday, April 23, from the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta to St. Peter’s Basilica, allowing the faithful to pay their final respects.
The rite of translation will be led by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, beginning at 9:00 a.m. with a moment of prayer.
The procession will proceed through Santa Marta Square and the Square of the Roman Protomartyrs, exit via the Arch of the Bells, and enter St. Peter’s Basilica through its central doors.
Once at the Altar of the Confession, Cardinal Farrell will preside over the Liturgy of the Word, after which public viewing of the late Pontiff’s body will commence.
