What to expect at Pope Francis’ funeral, from Vatican rituals to iron-clad security and world leaders attending
Pope Francis has continued to break with traditions even in death, having requested before he died several changes to the ceremony and burial that accompany the passing of a pontiff.
But other rituals will follow ancient traditions, the Vatican announced. By Friday morning, more than 128,000 mourners had filed past Francis’s open coffin placed in front of the basilica’s main altar — at times praying, at times holding smart phones aloft — despite instructions not to — for a photo of the late pontiff laid out in red robes, a bishop’s pointed mitre and a rosary entwined in his hands.
More vast crowds will gather for Saturday’s funeral, as well as more than 130 foreign dignitaries, among them 50 heads of state and 10 reigning sovereigns.
They include US president Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky and first lady Olena Zelenska, the Prince of Wales, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, French president Emmanuel Macron and Spain’s King Felipe VI, as well as the most highly ranked members of the Catholic Church.
Below we look at how the service will unfold.
Pope Francis’s coffin will be sealed in a ritual on Friday evening, marking the end of the three days of public viewing in St Peter’s Basilica.
This will be conducted by American Cardinal Kevin Farrell, a trusted aide to Pope Francis and the current camerlengo – the official who runs the Holy See between the death or resignation of a pope and the election of the next one.
In one break from tradition, Pope Francis eschewed the previous three coffins made of cypress, lead and oak and will be interred in a simplified zinc coffin, inside a wooden casket.
The tomb is being prepared behind a wooden barrier within the basilica that he chose to be near an icon of the Madonna that he revered and often prayed before.
Photos released by the Vatican on Friday show the marble tombstone flat against the pavement, with the simple engraving in Latin that he requested in his last testament: “Franciscus”.
A bag of coins minted during Francis’s time as pope is placed in the coffin, along with a one-page account of his papacy. That account is read aloud by the master of liturgical ceremonies before being rolled up into a tube that is put in the coffin.
Senior members of the Catholic Church will attend the ceremony, as well as the late Pope’s secretaries, Vatican News reports.
One ancient ritual already carried out was the breaking of the pope’s “Fisherman’s Ring” and lead seal so they cannot be used by anyone else.
The funeral itself will take place in St Peter’s Square, in front of the Basilica where his body has been lying in state.
