From the BBC:
“World leaders from Trump to
Zelensky to attend Pope's funeral”
Pope Francis's funeral will take
place on Saturday in St Peter's Square, the Vatican has confirmed, with
hundreds of thousands expected to attend. The head of the Catholic Church died
of a stroke on Monday, aged 88, less than 24 hours after leading an Easter
address. He had been in poor health after recently battling double pneumonia.
A host of world leaders and
royals - including Sir Keir Starmer, Donald Trump, the Prince of Wales, and
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, home to the biggest Catholic
population in the world - have confirmed their attendance. Thousands of
mourners have already flocked to Vatican City, carrying flowers, crosses and
candles and reciting prayers.
On Tuesday, the Vatican released
further details of the Pope's final 24 hours. Francis, who had recently spent
five weeks in hospital, was slightly apprehensive about appearing on the
balcony on Sunday. "Do you think I can do this?" the Pope asked his
personal nurse, Massimiliano Strappetti. Strappetti reassured him and moments
later the pontiff appeared on the balcony, blessing the crowd gathered in St
Peter's Square below. The following morning at around 05:30 local time (03:30
GMT), Francis began to feel unwell. An hour later, he waved at Strappetti
before slipping into a coma. "Those who were near him in those moments say
he didn't suffer," the Vatican said in a statement. "It was a
discreet death."
What happens before the
funeral?
On Wednesday morning, Pope
Francis's body will be taken in a procession led by cardinals from the Chapel
of Santa Marta to St Peter's Basilica, where he will remain in an open coffin
until Friday to allow mourners to pay their respects. Just before the
procession, a moment of prayer will be led by the camerlengo, Cardinal Kevin
Farrell, who is running the Vatican in the wake of the Pope's death. The
Vatican has released photos of the Pope's body lying in the chapel at Casa
Santa Marta - his residence during his 12-year papacy - dressed in a red robe
with the papal mitre on his head and a rosary in his hand. The general public
will be able to visit St Peter's Basilica from 11:00 to midnight on Wednesday,
07:00 to midnight on Thursday and 07:00 to 19:00 on Friday. Bucking tradition,
there will be no private viewing for cardinals, at Pope Francis's request. The
Pope's coffin will also not be raised on a pedestal. BBC graphic titled:
"Vatican City: The permanent seat of the Pope." It shows the
locations of St Peter's Square, St Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel and
Casa Santa Marta.
What time will the service
take place? The funeral will start at 10:00 in the square in front of St
Peter's Basilica. Patriarchs, cardinals, archbishops, bishops, and priests from
across the globe will take part. The dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal
Giovanni Battista Re, will lead the service. Cardinal Battista Re will deliver
the final commendation and valediction - a concluding prayer where the Pope
will be formally entrusted to God - and the pontiff's body will be moved to St
Mary Major for the burial. A nine-day mourning period, known as Novemdiales,
then begins.
Who is attending the funeral? Huge
crowds are anticipated on Saturday, with as many as 250,000 people expected to
attend the funeral. Many heads of state and royals have confirmed their
attendance, including Prince William, US President Donald Trump, Spain's King
Felipe VI and Queen Letizia and French President Emmanuel Macron. Other
political figures who have announced they will attend include: Brazilian
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Polish President Andrzej Duda, EU
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelensky, Javier Milei, the president of Argentina, Francis's home
country, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Italian Prime
Minister Giorgia Meloni
Where will Pope Francis be
buried?
Pope Francis, who famously
eschewed some of the pomp of the papacy during his life, will continue to break
with tradition in death. Historically, popes are buried in triple coffins in
marble tombs inside St Peter's Basilica at the heart of the Vatican. Pope
Francis requested that he instead be buried at Rome's Basilica of St Mary
Major. He will become the first pope in more than 100 years to be laid to rest
outside the Vatican. In his final testament, Pope Francis also asked to be
buried "in the earth, simple, without particular decoration" and with
the inscription only of his papal name in Latin: Franciscus. His body was moved
into the Santa Marta chapel on Monday evening, and his apartment formally
sealed, the Vatican said.
When is the new Pope elected? Following
the funeral, a conclave of cardinals will convene to elect a successor. The
dean of the College of Cardinals has 15 to 20 days to summon the cardinals to
Rome once the Pope is buried. Several names have already been floated as
potential successors, with more likely to emerge in the coming days.
^ I hope this is a fitting
tribute to an amazing Person. ^
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