The Vatican’s Department of Liturgical Celebrations announced the details of Pope Francis’ funeral. The ceremony follows the guidelines established in the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis, the document that governs the funeral rites of the Roman Pontiff.
On Wednesday (23) at 9 a.m. (local time), the Pope’s body will be transferred from the Chapel of the Casa Santa Marta to St. Peter’s Basilica. The procession of the urn will be preceded by a moment of prayer, presided over by Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church.
The faithful will be able to bid farewell to the Pope on Wednesday, when the exequies (set of rituals and celebrations that occur after a person’s death) will be open to the public.
On Saturday, at 10 a.m. (local time), the Requiem Mass will be celebrated, marking the first day of the Novendiali (novena), the nine days of mourning and prayers in honor of the Pontiff. The celebration will take place in the atrium of St. Peter’s Basilica and will be presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals.
At the end of the Eucharistic celebration, the rites of the Última Commendatio and Valedictio — solemn farewells that mark the conclusion of the exequies — will take place. Then, the Pope’s coffin will be taken back inside St. Peter’s Basilica and from there transferred to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, where the burial ceremony will be held.
Several heads of state and government have already officially announced their attendance to pay homage to Francis, including the President of the United States, Donald Trump, and the President of Brazil, Lula.
Source: Agência Brasil