International-News

Live Video – Today the last farewell to Pope Francis: funeral in St. Peter’s Square

At 10am the solemn ceremony presided over by Cardinal Re. Over 200,000 people and more than 100 delegations from all over the world are expected, including Trump and Zelensky

The funeral of Pope Francis, who died last Monday at the age of 88, will be held today, Friday 26 April. The funeral ceremony, awaited by hundreds of thousands of faithful, will begin at 10 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square and will be presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals.

Ceremony broadcast worldwide

The funeral is expected to last about 90 minutes. At the end of the liturgy, the coffin will be transferred to the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where Pope Francis will be buried according to his wishes. This is the same place where he had often prayed before and during his pontificate.

The ceremony will be broadcast live worldwide and will represent one of the most solemn moments in the recent history of the Catholic Church.

Massive influx and international attendance

More than 200,000 people are expected in Rome to pay homage to the Pope. More than 100 international delegations will be present in St. Peter’s Square. Prominent among the heads of state will be US President Donald Trump, who will leave the Italian capital immediately after the funeral.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will also be present. A possible meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the ceremony is not excluded, although no date has been made official.

Yesterday the closing of the coffin
The previous evening, Thursday 25 April, at 8pm, the rite of the Closing of the Coffin at the Altar of Confession took place in the Vatican Basilica. A reserved, but highly symbolic moment, which marked the last liturgical act before the public funeral.

With this solemn funeral, an intense page in the history of the Catholic Church closes, marked by the reforming and deeply human pontificate of Pope Francis.