New details have emerged regarding the burial arrangements for Pope Francis, the 266th pontiff, whose death at the age of 88 was announced by the Vatican on Easter Monday.
Pope Francis will be laid to rest with a heartfelt tribute, describing him as a “simple and much-loved shepherd.” His funeral, attended by global leaders such as U.S. President Donald Trump, Prince William, and Sir Keir Starmer, is expected to draw up to 500,000 mourners. Many have already begun camping out overnight to pay their respects during the open-air service.
Since Wednesday, the late pope’s body has been lying in state in a simple wooden coffin lined with zinc at St. Peter’s Basilica, with the coffin sealed ahead of today’s funeral.
Inside the coffin, a touching obituary highlights Francis’s journey, noting that as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, he was “a simple and much-loved shepherd” who traveled by underground and bus, cooked his own meals, and lived among the people he served. The note emphasizes that he “will remain in the heart of the Church and of humanity,” and concludes with a tribute: “Francis has left everyone a wonderful testimony of humanity, a life of a saint, and universal fatherhood.”
In contrast to previous popes, whose remains were placed in three coffins, Pope Francis will rest in a single one. The zinc inner lid is inscribed with his name, a cross, his papal coat of arms, and the dates of his papacy, 2013–2025.
This morning, St. Peter’s Square was filled with dignitaries, world leaders, and tens of thousands of mourners, all gathered to bid farewell to one of the most transformative Catholic leaders of modern times. Early in the day, pilgrims filled Via della Conciliazione, the grand avenue leading to the Vatican, singing hymns, praying, and reflecting on Francis’s compassionate leadership.
As the service began, archbishops and bishops gathered in the Constantine Wing of St. Peter’s Basilica, wearing chasubles, albs, belts, and simple white mitres. Priests and deacons assembled in St. Peter’s Square, dressed in similar attire with red stoles, while patriarchs and cardinals gathered in Saint Sebastian’s Chapel, donning white Damascene mitres.
The funeral procession featured clergy walking alongside the late pope’s coffin, with Pope Francis dressed in a red damask chasuble and a golden papal mitre.
At 10 a.m. local time (9 a.m. BST), the solemn funeral service began, with Pope Francis’s coffin placed before St. Peter’s Basilica, where Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Deacon of the College of Cardinals, presided over the ceremony.
