The Holy See Press Office announced on Tuesday that Pope Francis’ funeral Mass will take place on Saturday, April 26, 2025, at 10:00 AM in St. Peter’s Square.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside at the Mass, which will be concelebrated by Patriarchs, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, and priests from across the globe.
The Eucharistic celebration will conclude with the Ultima commendatio and the Valedictio, marking the beginning of the Novemdiales, or nine days of mourning and Masses for the repose of Pope Francis’ soul.
The late Pope’s body will then be taken into St. Peter’s Basilica and then to the Basilica of St. Mary Major for entombment.
Earlier, on Wednesday, the coffin containing the Pope’s body will be carried from the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta to St. Peter’s Basilica, so that the faithful may pay their respects.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, will preside over the rite of translation on April 23, which will begin at 9:00 AM with a moment of prayer.
The procession will pass through Santa Marta Square and the Square of the Roman Protomartyrs, according to the Holy See Press Office.
The procession will then exit through the Arch of the Bells into St. Peter’s Square and enter the Vatican Basilica through the central door.
At the Altar of the Confession, the Cardinal Camerlengo will preside over the Liturgy of the Word, at the conclusion of which the visits to the body of the Roman Pontiff will commence.\
Pope Francis’ final hours and gratitude for returning to the Square
Among the final words of the late Pope Francis was a “thank you” to his personal healthcare assistant, Massimiliano Strappetti, for encouraging him to take one last ride in the popemobile on Sunday after the Urbi et Orbi. He rested in the afternoon, had a quiet dinner, and then at dawn suddenly fell ill and died.
“Thank you for bringing me back to the Square.”
This expression of gratitude was among Pope Francis’s last words to the person who watched over him tirelessly throughout his illness, as well as before.
He spoke those words to Massimiliano Strappetti, the nurse who, according to the Pope himself, once saved his life by suggesting colon surgery, and whom the Holy Father later appointed in 2022 as his personal healthcare assistant.
Mr. Strappetti stayed by the Pope’s side during all 38 days of his hospitalization at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, and keeping watch round-the-clock during his recovery at the Casa Santa Marta. He was with the Pope on Easter Sunday, during the Urbi et Orbi blessing.
The day before, they had gone together to St. Peter’s Basilica to review the “route” he would take the following day when he was to appear on the Central Loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Embracing the crowd
The late Pope wanted to offer one last, meaningful surprise to the 50,000 faithful with a ride in the popemobile on Sunday after the blessing on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica façade.
However, Pope Francis did hesitate a bit and asked the opinion of Mr. Strappetti, asking him, “Do you think I can manage it?”
Once in St. Peter’s Square, he embraced the crowd, especially the children, since this was his first ride after being discharged from Gemelli hospital, as well as the last outing among the faithful of his life.
Tired but content, the Pope afterwards thanked his personal healthcare assistant, saying, “Thank you for bringing me back to the Square.”
These heartfelt words reveal the deep desire of the Argentine Pope to be among the people of God, enjoying the human connection he made a hallmark of his papacy.
The final hours
The Pope then rested on Sunday afternoon and had a quiet dinner.
Around 5:30 AM, the first signs of the sudden illness appeared, prompting an immediate response from those keeping watch over him.
Around an hour later, after making a gesture of farewell with his hand to Mr. Strappetti, lying in bed in his second-floor apartment at the Casa Santa Marta, the Pope fell into a coma.
According to those who were with him in his final moments, he did not suffer. It all happened quickly.
His was a discreet death, almost sudden, without long suffering or public alarm, for a Pope who was always very reserved about his health.
The passing of Pope Francis came the day after Easter, when he was able to offer the city and the world his final Apostolic Blessing and embrace the faithful once more.
It was exactly the people of God with whom, from the very first moments of his election on March 13, 2013, he had promised to walk “together.”
BASED ON REPORTS FROM vaticannews.va
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