Pope Francis’ coffin has arrived at St. Peter’s Basilica, where he will lie in state to allow the Catholic faithful to pay their respects before Saturday’s funeral that is expected to be attended by world leaders including US President Donald Trump.
Bells tolled slowly as the coffin entered the basilica at 9.30 a.m. local time (3.30 a.m. ET) Wednesday, while mourners in the piazza outside broke into applause.
The Litany of the Saints, a formal prayer of the Roman Catholic Church, is now underway at the basilica.
Wednesday’s procession began with Francis’ body being moved from the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta residence, where he lived during his papacy. Francis died at Casa Santa Marta on Easter Monday at the age of 88 of a stroke and heart failure, according to the Vatican.
The coffin traveled through Piazza Santa Marta and the Piazza dei Protomartiri Romani, passing through the Arch of the Bells and into St. Peter’s Square, before entering St. Peter’s Basilica through the central door.
Before the procession, Camerlengo Kevin Farrell, the cardinal tasked with arranging the papal funeral and conclave, held a brief service in the chapel of Casa Santa Marta with a short antiphon, or chant, of hope.
“Let us thank the Lord for countless gifts that he bestowed on the Christian people through His servant Pope Francis,” the Camerlengo said in prayer. “Let us ask him in his mercy and kindness to grant the late pope an eternal home in the kingdom of heaven and to comfort with celestial hope, the papal family, the church in Rome and the faithful throughout the world.”
The coffin containing the body of Pope Francis is carried into St. Peter’s Basilica. – Remo Casilli/Reuters
People gather in St. Peter’s Square as they await the arrival of the body of Pope Francis. – Andreea Alexandru/AP
Now at St. Peter’s Basilica, the Camerlengo is presiding over a service, known at the Liturgy of the Word, that will allow attendees to pay their respects to the late pope. This is taking place at the Altar of the Confessio – the space that opens up in front of the main altar of the basilica.
The Camerlengo, Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, dispensed Holy Water over Francis’ body. The cardinal then opened with a Deacon inviting those gathered to prayer in Latin and then reading from the Gospel of St. John.
The faithful will recite several religious verses, including psalm 22, “The Lord is my Shepherd,” during the service.
Attendees will also recite the Catholic customary prayers of the dead during the liturgy.
The service is expected to finish with the Marian Antiphon, a prayer to Jesus’s mother Mary.
At the conclusion of the service, the public will be able to pay their respects to the pope, whose body will lie in state at St Peter’s Basilica for three days.
For those who wish to visit the pope and pay their respects, the basilica will be open on Wednesday until midnight, on Thursday from 7 a.m. to midnight local time, and Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time.
Members of the clergy stand next to the coffin of Pope Francis, inside St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday. – Tiziana Fabi/AFP/Getty Images
After lying in state for three days, Francis’ funeral will begin at 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. ET) Saturday – six days after his death. The last papal funeral – for Pope Benedict XVI in 2023 – was also held six days after his death.
The Vatican announced that Francis’ funeral will be held outside, in St. Peter’s Square. Previous papal funerals have also been held outside, with thousands of mourners filling the open space in front of the basilica.
A string of world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, have confirmed they will travel to the Vatican for the service. French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are among the major European leaders traveling to the Vatican.
Tens of thousands of others are expected to show up. About 50,000 people came to Benedict’s funeral in 2023, while around 300,000 attended John Paul’s in 2005.
The pope passed away the morning after the holiest day in the Christian year, when the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Despite his poor health, Francis was seen a number of times in public at the Vatican during Holy Week, culminating in an Easter Sunday appearance where he delighted crowds at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
His death from a stroke and heart failure was affected other by other ailments, including a “previous episode of acute respiratory failure,” arterial hypertension and type II diabetes, according to a Vatican press office statement, signed by the Director of the Health and Hygiene Directorate of the Vatican City State Andrea Arcangeli.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
