The Holy See has made it official that the funeral of Pope Francis will be held on Saturday, April 26, 2025, at 10 a.m. on the parvis of St. Peter’s Basilica. The celebration, which will mark the first day of the Novendiali, will be presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, according to the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis.
The announcement came from the Vatican’s Office of Liturgical Celebrations, which specified how the funeral of the Argentine pontiff will be conducted. At the end of the Eucharistic celebration, the Ultima commendatio and Valedictio, the traditional farewell rites provided for papal funerals, will take place. The Holy Father’s coffin will then be transported inside St. Peter’s Basilica and later to the Basilica of St. Mary Major for final burial.
This choice represents a particularity from the tradition of papal burials, which usually take place in the Vatican Grottoes, but responds to a specific request by Pope Francis, who in 2024 indicated that he wanted to be buried at St. Mary Major. The reason is that an icon of Our Lady Salus populi romani, to whom the Pope was devoted, is located here.
“Novendiali”: what are they?
Pope Francis’ funeral is part of the Novendiali, the nine days of official mourning prescribed by Catholic tradition after the death of a pontiff. During this period, a mass is celebrated every day in suffrage of the deceased Pope. The choice of April 26 as the date for the funeral respects the practice that papal funerals are held between the fourth and sixth day after death, allowing for the arrival of international delegations and the organization of such a large event.
Preparations for the Conclave after the Pope’s death
With the death of Pope Francis, the Church enters a period of Sede Vacante. According to the established rules, the Conclave for the election of the new Pontiff must begin no earlier than fifteen days and no later than twenty days after the Pope’s death. This period allows all cardinal electors to reach Rome to participate in the election. Cardinals have already begun arriving in the Eternal City to take part in the Pope’s funeral and prepare for the Conclave that will determine who will lead the Catholic Church in the coming years, inheriting the significant legacy of Pope Francis.
An international turnout at the Pope’s funeral
Numerous heads of state and government have already confirmed their attendance at Pope Francis’ funeral, testifying to the global impact the pontiff had during his pontificate. A massive turnout of faithful from all over the world is expected , eager to pay their last respects to the Pope who reformed the Church with his direct style and attention to the most vulnerable.
The death of Pope Francis: a historic event
Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, passed away on April 21, 2025 at the age of 88. The Pope’s death came after a 12-year pontificate that began on March 13, 2013 when he was elected successor to Benedict XVI. News of the pope’s death generated a wave of emotion around the world. The faithful spontaneously gathered in St. Peter’s Square to pray and pay their respects to the pontiff, while messages of condolence came from religious and political leaders from all nations.
Pope Francis’ legacy to the Church and the world
Pope Francis leaves behind a Church profoundly transformed by his pontificate. The first Jesuit pontiff and first from Latin America, Bergoglio brought a breath of renewal, placing mercy, concern for the poor and care for creation at the center of his ministry. During his pontificate, he carried out numerous structural reforms, including that of the Roman Curia culminating in the Apostolic Constitution Praedicate evangelium of 2022, which reorganized the Vatican’s dicasteries and opened government roles to lay people and women as well.
Among the most significant reforms of his pontificate are the financial reform of the IOR and Vatican economic institutions, with the aim of ensuring greater transparency; the fight against abuse in the Church, with the abolition of papal secrecy for cases of child abuse and the introduction of Motu proprio Vos estis lux mundi; the opening to roles of responsibility for laity and women in the Roman Curia; the promotion of an “outgoing” Church, close to existential peripheries;ecological commitment, crystallized in the encyclical Laudato si’; and interreligious dialogue, culminating in the Declaration on Human Brotherhood signed with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar.
As the world prepares to bid farewell to Pope Francis next Saturday, April 26, the legacy of a pontificate that has changed the face of the Church, bringing it closer to the most fragile and constantly calling it back to its original mission: to be a witness of mercy in a wounded and divided world, remains indelible.
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