The Vatican has outlined the late pontiff’s burial arrangements, following the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday at age 88, which emphasize simplicity and reflect his lifelong devotion to humility.
The funeral, scheduled for Saturday, April 26, 2025, in St. Peter’s Square, will follow simplified rites approved by Francis in 2024, as detailed in the revised Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis (Rite of Burial for Roman Pontiffs).
In a testament written in June 2022, Pope Francis requested a modest burial at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, breaking with the tradition of interment in the Vatican Grottoes beneath St. Peter’s Basilica.
The burial site, located in a niche between the Pauline and Sforza Chapels in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, has already been prepared, fulfilling the pope’s wishes to rest near the icon of the Virgin Mary, Salus Populi Romani, which he visited over 100 times during his papacy.
According to Archbishop Diego Ravelli, the master of papal liturgical ceremonies, Pope Francis’ choices for his funeral and burial reflect the hallmarks of his 12-year papacy: simplicity, humility, and a focus on faith over pomp.
“His funeral is that of a shepherd and disciple of Christ, not of a powerful man of this world,” Archbishop Ravelli said.
He added that as the Catholic Church mourns the loss of the first Latin American pope, his final wishes serve as a testament to his commitment to a more humble and inclusive Church.
Unlike his predecessors, Francis will be laid to rest in a single wooden coffin lined with zinc, abolishing the traditional use of three nested coffins made of cypress, lead, and elm.
Pope Francis, who died of a cerebral stroke and irreversible heart failure, requested that his body not be displayed on an elevated platform, further distancing his funeral from the elaborate rituals of past papal burials.
Vatican released images on Tuesday showing Pope Francis in an open casket in the chapel of his Casa Santa Marta residence, dressed in red vestments with a rosary in hand and a papal mitre on his head.
His body will be moved to St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday morning at 9:00 a.m. for public viewing, allowing the faithful to pay their respects before the funeral.
Cardinals convened in Rome on Tuesday to finalize funeral plans and start preparing for the conclave to choose Francis’ successor, which is anticipated to begin 15 to 20 days after his passing.
Masses will be held across Rome during the nine-day period of mourning, which will end with the burial at Saint Mary Major, where only seven popes have been laid to rest—the last being Clement IX in 1669.
