What to know about the funeral and burial of Pope Francis

By Luis Andrés Henao, Associated Press

New York (AP) – Pope Francis died on Easter Monday at the age of 88. His death stood out throughout the Catholic world and the days of ritual in the Vatican. These are the key things you should know about the funeral of the first Latin American pontiff in the history of the Church:

When and where is your funeral being a hero?

Its funeral will take place on Saturday in the Plaza de San Pedro. Francis will be buried, according to his will: in a simple underground grave in Santa María Mayor Basilica. The Church is home to its favorite icon of the Virgin Mary, whom it was a particularly devout.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tac9gqjrwgi

Carl sealing

The night before the funeral, the Camerongo presided over the closure and sealing of the coffin, in the presence of other senior cardinals. A white cloth was placed on Francis’s face.

A bag containing stocked coins duration of his papacy was placed in the coffin along with a written story of a page of his papacy known in Italian as a “prayer”, a word that indicates that an official did. He was read aloud by the master of liturgical ceremonies and then rolled up and slid inside a cylindrical tube that was placed inside the coffee. Another copy remains in the Vatican archives. The covers of the zinc coffin and the wooden car carry a cross and Francis’s papal arms shield.

Why not in the Vatican?

Francis had said that he wanted to be buried not in the Basilica of San Pedro or his Grutas, where most of the potatoes are buried, but in the Major Basilica of Santa Maria in the city. His choice reflects his veneration of an icon of the Virgin Mary that is there, the Salus Populi Romani (salvation of the people of Rome).

Before and after each foreign trip, Francis would go to the basilica to pray before the Byzantine style painting that presents an image of Mary, covered with a blue robe, holding the baby Jesus who in turn has a golden book with jewelry.

What dignitaries are they expected to attend?

The heads of state, including the president of the United States, Donald Trump, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zenskyy, and the French president Emmanuel Macron, are among those expected for the funeral. Other dignitaries include: Prince William, German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the president of the European Council António Costa.

How long did the Pope work?

Pope Francis A 12 -year -old papacy Duration that enchanted the world with its humility and Concern for the poor. But the Pope born in Argentina also alienated conservatives with criticism of capitalism and climate change.

So how do they choose a new Pope?

He Death of a Pope Starts Century ritual To choose a new one, which involve sacred oaths by the cardinals, the drilling of the ballots with a needle and the thread after they are counted, and then burning them to produce the white or black smoke to indicate if there is a new leader for the world.

With the burial, the Catholic Church begins nine days of official mourning, known as the “novels”. The date of the conclave to choose a new Pope has not yet announced the leg.

In the conclave, The cardinals He will vote in secret sessions, and the ballots will burn in a special stove after each session. The black smoke indicates that no Pope has been chosen; White Smoke says the cardinals have chosen the next head of the Catholic Church.

Any baptized Catholic man is eligible, he thought that only cardinals have been selected since 1378. The winner must receive at least two thirds of the votes of those minor cardinals who are eligible to participate.

Francis appointed the vast majority of voters, or taking advantage of men who share their pastoral priorities, which suggests continuity instead of rupture.

While it is impossible to predict who will be the next Pope, Some cardinals It is considered to have better possibilities than others.

Is it like the movie?

Yes and no. “Conclave” The 2024 film, introduced many lipseople in the Ancient National Team With its arcane rules and its great ceremony, although with a silver screen full of intrigue and surprise of the palace.

Vatican experts say the movie Excellent to recreate the appearance of a conclave. But there are discrepancies, errors and some extravagant stories in the Hollywood version. And although the voting process was represented precisely, the tickets are burned not after each vote, but after each session.

Francis’s legacy

Francis was known for his personal simplicity, from the choice of his name Francis in honor of San Francisco de Assisi, who resigned from wealth to help the poor, to the simulators and external priorities of his papacy.

He chose to live at the Hotel Domus Santa Marta del Vaticano instead of the Apostolic Palace and wore old orthotic shoes and not in the Red Moccasins of the Papacy.

In his teachings, he focused on concern for refugees and other marginalized people. His first trip out of Rome in 2013 went to the Sicilian Island of Lampedusa to meet with newly arrived migrants. His welcome plea disagreed with US and European policies.

Hello, he also pointed out a more cozy position towards people LGBTQ+, while making the fight against climate change a priority. Francis became the first Pope to use scientific data in an important teaching document and made God the creation of God a distinctive seal of his papacy.

He returned to the grandiosis in his departure, lay in the state in a simple coffin made of wood.

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Originally published: April 26, 2025 at 12:15 am pdt