Day of the ceremony, leaders present … what we know of the funeral of Pope Francis – Liberation
For the first time since the Pope’s death, around sixty cardinals met in camera this Tuesday, April 22 to decide on the methods of the funeral of the Sovereign Pontiff. The burial of Pope Franciswho succumbed on Monday to a stroke At 88, will therefore take place on Saturday at 10 am, (French time) place Saint-Pierre, in front of the basilica of the same name, announced the Vatican.
Such ceremonies are generally a planetary event in which a large number of foreign dignitaries To pay tribute to the spiritual leader of more than 1.4 billion Catholics. American president Donald Trump was the first on Monday evening to announce that he would come, followed by his French counterparts Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as the future former German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will also go there, accompanied by the president of the European Council, Antonio Costa.
The British Prime Minister announced that he would be there, just like the King and the Queen of Spain. Conversely, Russian President Vladimir Putin does not plan to go to these funerals, the Kremlin announced.
The coffin will then be transferred to the Sainte-Marie major basilica in the center of Rome, where the pope will be buried according to his wish, it is specified in the press release. He will join the remains of seven other popes and that of Pauline Bonaparte, the sister of the French emperor.
Indeed, in a short will published by the Vatican, Pope Francis expressed his last wishes: to be buried in a way « simple » In a basilica in Rome dedicated to the worship of the Virgin Mary. Dated June 29, 2022, the will of the Argentinian Jesuit mentioned a burial « Without decoration », With the sole inscription his name in Latin: « Franciscus ».
In the meantime, his coffin will be exhibited from Wednesday at the Saint-Pierre Basilica in Rome, where the faithful will be able to pay him a last tribute. The Pope’s body, put in beer on Monday evening, is currently in the chapel of the Sainte-Marthe du Vatican residence, where he lived from his election in 2013 until his death.
The Vatican released this Tuesday morning the first images of the Sovereign Pontiff in his open coffin, framed by two Swiss guards. We see Pope Francis bringing a white miter, the liturgical hairstyle reserved for bishops, and a red chasuble. On his bust, his hands surround a rosary.
In the coming days, the 135 cardinals voters, those under the age of 80, will have the heavy task of electing his successor during the conclave, which should start in early May.
After Argentina and East Timor, which each announced a week of mourning, the Italian government in turn published a decree for a five -day national mourning, starting immediately and ending on Saturday, the day of its funeral, said the Minister of Civil Protection Nello Musumeci.
The government of Silvio Berlusconi had decreed in 2005, during the death of Pope John Paul II, a national mourning of three days.
Update at 2:10 p.m. With the decree announcing a national mourning of five days in Italy.
