Vatican City, Italy – The Vatican has officially announced that the funeral Mass for His Holiness Pope Francis will be held on Saturday, April 26, 2025, at 10:00 AM in St. Peter’s Square, as the Catholic Church and the world prepare to bid farewell to a Pontiff who shepherded the faithful with humility, compassion, and unwavering devotion.
The Dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, will preside over the Eucharistic celebration, to be concelebrated by Patriarchs, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, and priests from across the globe—a testament to the late Pope’s profound impact on the universal Church.
On Wednesday, April 23, the mortal remains of Pope Francis will be transferred from the chapel of Casa Santa Marta to St. Peter’s Basilica, where he will lie in state. The solemn rite of translation will begin at 9:00 AM, led by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church.
The procession, rich in symbolism and reverence, will proceed through Santa Marta Square and the Square of the Roman Protomartyrs, exiting through the Arch of the Bells before entering the Vatican Basilica via the central door.
At the Altar of the Confession, Cardinal Farrell will preside over a Liturgy of the Word, marking the beginning of the public visitation period. Thousands of pilgrims and faithful are expected to attend, offering prayers and tributes to the late Pontiff.
Saturday’s funeral Mass will conclude with the Ultima commendatio and Valedictio, ancient rites symbolizing the Church’s final farewell to the Roman Pontiff.
These sacred ceremonies will also usher in the Novemdiales, nine days of mourning and Masses for the repose of Pope Francis’ soul.
Following the funeral rites, Pope Francis will be entombed at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, a site close to his heart and steeped in Marian devotion.
Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, ascended to the Chair of St. Peter in March 2013, becoming the first Jesuit pope and the first from the Americas.
His papacy was marked by a relentless call for mercy, social justice, ecological stewardship, and solidarity with the poor and marginalized.
Known as the “Pope of the Peripheries,” Francis redefined the papal image with his humility, choosing simple attire, a modest apartment, and championing a Church that “goes forth” to heal the wounded.
As the world now mourns his passing, millions reflect on a spiritual leader who led not from above, but from among the people—walking with the broken, lifting the forgotten, and calling the Church to a radical Gospel-centered renewal.