The body of Pope Francis will be exposed to the devotion of the faithful until Friday evening, April 25, 2025. The Pope simplified the ceremonial of his funeral, to be "like any other Christian." On Wednesday, April 23, 2025, at 9 AM, the body of Pope Francis was transferred from the Chapel of Santa Marta to the Basilica of San Pietro. The ceremony was inaugurated by a moment of prayer presided over by the Camerlengo, Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell. The procession crossed Piazza Santa Marta and Piazza dei Protomartiri Romani, exiting through the Arco delle Campane into Piazza San Pietro and entering the Basilica through the central door.
Inside the Basilica, at the altar of the Confession, Farrell presided over the Liturgy of the Word. The Pope decided to eliminate the intermediate stage of a mortuary in the Vatican Apostolic Palace. He insisted on not showing his body on a catafalque, nor inside the usual triple coffin. Instead, his body was placed in a simple zinc coffin inside another wooden one, which remained open during the exhibition. Inside the coffin were placed the miter, the pallium, bags containing the coins and medals minted during the Pontificate, and an act that briefly describes the latter, known as the rogito. The Pope, with a rosary in his hands, wore the red chasuble and a white silk veil on his face.
The body of the Pope was exposed to the devotion of the faithful until Friday evening, in what is expected to be a moving pilgrimage of people. Law enforcement, civil protection, and health personnel were present in the square. The Sala Stampa della Santa Sede provided the opening hours of the Basilica: Wednesday, April 23, from 11 AM to midnight, Thursday, April 24, from 7 AM to midnight, and Friday, April 25, from 7 AM to 7 PM.
Meanwhile, preparations for the Pope's funeral continued, which will take place on Saturday, April 26, 2025, at 10 AM on the parvis of the Basilica of San Pietro. The celebration of the mass will be the responsibility of the dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovan Battista Re. As requested by the Pope in his last wishes, he will be buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, outside the Vatican, which houses his favorite icon of the Virgin Mary. The coffin will be buried in a simple tomb between the Cappella Paolina and the Cappella Sforza.
The Italian Ministry of the Interior and the Municipality of Rome are preparing to welcome over 200,000 people and manage the security of at least one hundred foreign delegations. The majority of world leaders expected in the capital for the Pope's funeral should arrive on Saturday and depart the same day. The President of the United States, Donald Trump, who announced his participation with First Lady Melania Trump, is expected to arrive in the city on Friday, April 25, 2025.
"It is still early to make realistic estimates. Just yesterday (Tuesday, April 22), 50,000 people passed through San Pietro, and 100,000 in the adjacent area. Today, with the transfer of the body of the Holy Father, we expect numbers to be much higher," stated the Prefect of Rome, Lamberto Giannini.
The prefect explained that the reception plan for the thousands of people arriving from outside will be "similar to that for football matches, with checks in the gathering areas for buses, at stations where special services will be available, and where it will be very important to provide accurate information." Maxi screens have been set up in Piazza Pia, Piazza del Risorgimento, and Via della Conciliazione for people to watch the mass.
For Pope Francis, the cortege that will take his body from San Pietro to Santa Maria Maggiore for burial will be made public. "This is an event that has precedents only in very ancient times. Given the large participation we expect, we decided to make the route public. We have not yet established what it will be, but we will communicate it so that citizens can say goodbye to him on this last journey," added Giannini.
From Wednesday, April 23, 2025, until Friday, April 25, 2025, the body of Pope Francis will be exposed in San Pietro for the last greeting. The day began with a moment of silent prayer in the chapel of Santa Marta in front of the body of the pontiff, who died on Monday, April 21, 2025. At 9 AM on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, after the moment of prayer presided over by Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, the translation began.
The body of the pontiff was transferred from the Chapel of the Domus Sanctæ Marthæ to the Papal Basilica of San Pietro. The coffin was transported by stretcher-bearers and sediari, while the bells tolled to announce the death. The arrival in Piazza San Pietro was greeted by thunderous applause from the faithful. The open coffin of the Pope, placed on the ground on a simple platform, was taken to the altar of the Chair in the Basilica of San Pietro, where it will be exposed to the homage of the faithful for three days.
The coffin of the Pope, placed on the ground at the altar of the Confession, was sprinkled with holy water and incense by Cardinal Camerlengo Kevin Farrell. This is a highly symbolic place in the Basilica of San Pietro: under the main altar lies the tomb of Saint Peter. The term "Confession" refers to the place where Saint Peter confessed his faith through martyrdom. At 11 AM on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, after the Liturgy of the Word presided over by Cardinal Camerlengo at the altar of the Confession, the visits of the faithful began, allowing them to pay their last respects to the deceased pope.
On this day, a commemoration is also scheduled in the Chamber, a joint ceremony at 4 PM between the two branches of Parliament. The presidents of the Senate and Chamber, Ignazio La Russa and Lorenzo Fontana, and a government representative, likely Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, are expected to speak.
On Thursday, April 24, 2025, the visiting hours for the pontiff will be extended, from 7 AM to midnight, while on Friday, April 25, 2025, the doors of the Basilica will be open from 7 AM to 7 PM. The funeral will be held on Saturday, April 26, 2025, with over 200,000 people expected to attend.
The government has decided to proclaim five days of national mourning for the death of Pope Francis. According to the circular governing such situations, flags on public buildings will be flown at half-mast. During the mourning period, public authorities will refrain from social commitments, except for charitable events. Football matches scheduled for Saturday have been suspended, while "all ceremonies" for April 25 are permitted, taking into account the context and with the sobriety that the circumstance imposes.
The national mourning is proclaimed in the case of the passing of highly significant figures and dramatic events that profoundly affect the country. For example, three days of mourning were declared for the death of John Paul II and for the passing of former Forza Italia leader and former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. It also occurred in the wake of dramatic events for the country, such as earthquakes, severe weather events, or tragedies like the collapse of the Morandi Bridge.
The organization and management of the funeral have been entrusted to the head of the Civil Protection, Fabio Ciciliano, who will oversee the arrangements for the attendance of dozens of leaders from around the world, with an expected turnout of 200,000 to 250,000 faithful. To accommodate all who wish to attend the funeral, screens will be set up along the streets surrounding San Pietro, as confirmed by the Prefect of Rome, Lamberto Giannini. "For the Pope's funeral, there will be maxi screens along Via della Conciliazione, in Piazza Pia, and Piazza Risorgimento. As we move forward, if we anticipate an even larger crowd, more will be positioned," he stated.
Leaders from around the world are expected to attend the funeral, with most arriving on Saturday and departing the same day. An exception will be the President of the United States, Donald Trump, who will arrive on Friday with his wife Melania. "The president will depart Friday morning from Washington and return to the United States Saturday evening," explained White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt. "We are calibrating based on past events, for 170 delegations of heads of state and government; we have adhered to this general framework," stated Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi. The celebration will take place at San Pietro, but Jorge Mario Bergoglio will rest in the Roman Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.
Vladimir Putin has no plans to travel to Rome, as revealed by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, who noted that the Russian president "has no such plans." However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to attend, as indicated by a source from the presidency. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will also be present, having canceled her international commitments for the weekend.
